First Comes Marriage
by KC Clark
Summary: Eighteenyearold, seventh year Hogwarts student, Hermione Granger finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage to her Potions Professor Severus Snape, because of a marriage law that the Ministry of Magic has passed. Finished! Reviews 193! WOW!
1. Her Wedding Day

_**First Comes Marriage**_

_**Summary: **__Eighteen-year-old, seventh year Hogwarts student, Hermione Granger finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage to her Potions Professor Severus Snape, because of a marriage law that the Ministry of Magic has passed. Can she survive being married to someone who has more secrets than a lost city? Someone who doesn't love her? Someone who is growing to love her more with each day? And can she survive the love that is growing within her?_

_**Author's Note:**_ _I have read several of these Marriage Law fanfic's and thought I'd try one of my own. I know that their supposed to be short but this one is going to be longer because I want it to be so read and review and tell me what you think. I have added some of my own things to the fic so it's not going by the guidelines that most of them do. I wanted to spice something up a bit. This is pre-HBP and Dumbledore's death; also Snape's past is not correct this is just my imagination running wild and the plot kitten that has replaced the bunny that used to sit on my shoulder has taken up the bunny's old habit of drinking. Please, someone save me. This fic contains graphic adult situations, forced marriage, some slight angst and many other things please exercise caution when reading. Author is not responsible for injuries received during the reading of this fanfic._

_**Chapter 1: Her Wedding Day**_

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Tears welled in the eyes of her mother and her best friend Ginny Weasley as they looked at her. There was no smile on her face, no happiness emitting from her as she adjusted the bodice of the white wedding dress. Oh, the dress was absolutely beautiful and everything was perfect on this very special day. But the lack of smile and happiness were because she didn't love the man she was about to marry. But she didn't have a chose.

She thought back to the day when Dumbledore had called her into his office and asked her to do this for the Order. Snape had been outraged that he had asked her but had been quickly subdued when told about the marriage law. Every wizard had to marry a woman who was a match to him or at least compatible in several ways. So because she had been the closest thing to compatible Hermione had been asked to marry Snape so that he could continue to work for the Order as a spy and not get thrown in jail.

"Hermione," the voice of her other best friend Harry Potter came from the doorway where he stood with Ron Weasley and her father. She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. Turning she walked toward her father who smiled and kissed her forehead. Her parents thought she loved Snape. She'd done her best to convince them that she would be alright and that she was actually in love with him. But that was as far from the truth as one could get. She'd never loved Snape, never even liked him as a teacher or a person. She hated his guts, loathed the ground he walked on. But she had to think about the wizarding world and the safety of her parents and friends. Why else would she throw herself into a loveless marriage with a man who was easily twice her age?

As she descended the stairs toward the Great Hall she heard the sound of music coming from inside and the voices speaking. Dumbledore had insisted that they have a large wedding to keep up appearance and invited the whole school, the Ministry and everyone else he could think of, the Malfoy's had even shown up, seeing as how Lucius was Snape's best man they couldn't not come. She stopped outside the doors and waited for the wedding march to start. Tears filled her eyes and she raised her hand to whip them away but they wouldn't stop. Her father noticed and smiled down at her.

"I'm so happy that you've found someone to love you 'mione. I really like this man; he seems to have a lot in common with you. I hope you'll be happy for a long time." He said as they stood together and watched as the others entered the Great Hall ahead of them. A little girl Hermione didn't know standing in front of her with a basket full of red rose petals shifted from one foot to the other nervously and the little ring bearer stood in front of her bouncing on his heels. She looked up at her father the tears still coming down and forced a smile onto her lips. "I just don't understand why you can't wait until you get out of school to get married."

"We just want to get married as soon as possible. We love each other so much that we can't wait." She lied again to her father and watched as he shook his head.

"If it's what will make you happy then I'm not going to stop you but I still don't understand." He said softly as the wedding march started and the children started down the aisle ahead of her. She looked inside and noticed everyone was looking back at the door. Her eyes traveled up to the front of the Hall and met Snape's. He had his hands behind his back and stood ram rod straight looking back at her. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a red rose boutonnière sticking out of the lapel on his chest and his hair looked as if it had been washed and slicked back.

She felt the bottom of her stomach drop out as her father started to move and she moved forward with him. This was it, she was going to marry him and be tied to him for the rest of her life. There was no divorce, even if he was abusive or cheated there was no way out of this for her. She was about to give the rest of her life to a man who hated her as much as she hated him.

The eyes of her friends and classmates followed her progress and she thought she might faint from the stress of all the thoughts that were running through her mind. But she had to do her part to save the world from Voldemort's evil. Hogwarts students stood in rows dressed in their best while the teachers stood in the second row closest to Snape and the preacher. Her mother, the Weasley's, her friends and Snape's family stood in the front row on either side of the Great Hall. She looked over at Snape's mother and smiled, the older woman smiled back. It was amazing that his mother actually liked her, she'd never met Snape's father because he had walked out on the two of them not long after Snape was born. She felt his eyes on her as she got closer and she felt the bottom of her stomach drop even further toward the floor. Oh, Gods this was not something she wanted to do.

When she and her father reached the front of the room he turned and kissed her cheek and handed her over to Snape. He took her shaking hand in his and stared down at her. She hadn't realized that she was shaking until she took his hand. He held it gently almost like he cared that she was scared. His black eyes seemed to be trying to tell her that it was okay and she shouldn't worry. But she was worried and she was scared and she didn't want to marry him.

_You don't have a chose. You agreed to this so live with it. You have to protect the people you care about so put on one of those fake smiles and swallow this bitter pill._

She did just that plastering one of her best smiles on her face and looking straight at him. His lips twitched and finally a smile crossed his lips. It was the first time she'd seen him smile. Usually it was a smirk or an evil snarl but this one looked real and took about ten years off his face. For the first time in her life she found herself thinking that Snape was almost handsome. She quickly pushed the thought away and brought her eyes up to his once more.

"Dearly beloved we are here today to witness these two people in holy matrimony. The act of marriage is an open confession of the love two people share for each other. These two young people have decided that now is the right time and place for their confession." The preacher said as he looked out over the crowd of people. "Severus Charles Snape, do you take this woman Hermione Jane Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or worse as long as you both shall live?" He stared down at her the fake smile on her lips slipped slightly as he turned to the preacher.

"I do." The words didn't sound awkward or forced they were just words. Kind of like their marriage was going to be. In name only, there would be no love.

"And do you Hermione Jane Granger, take this man Severus Charles Snape to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse as long as you both shall live?" The moment of truth had appeared and Hermione took a deep breath turning to the old preacher. She felt a lump forming in her throat.

"I do." The words tumbled from her lips and she thought she heard the Hall give a great sigh. Closing her eyes for a moment she listened as the preacher continued on with the ceremony. Ringers were exchanged and she waited for the moment when she'd be forced to kiss Snape in front of all these people.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." She opened her eyes and stared up at Snape. He swallowed and bent forward slowly. She braced herself for it but when his lips touched hers she felt like she was floating. His lips formed over hers and gently pressed. He wasn't forceful or demanding he just kissed her, like one would kiss someone they cared about. Pulling away first she stared up at him and smiled. The smile came easier this time, almost like it wasn't forced onto her lips.

"I am proud to present to you Mr and Mrs Severus Charles Snape." They turned hands clasped tightly and everyone stood up clapping and crying. Ginny reached over and grabbed Harry's hand while Ron held Lavender's hand in his. She felt her heart break at the sight of everyone looking so happy. They'd been successful in tricking everyone into thinking they were in love. Now it was official, now there was no turning back, she'd never be Hermione Jane Granger, book worm extraordinaire and best friend to Harry Potter. She was Hermione Jane Granger-Snape, wife to Professor Severus Charles Snape, follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort and spy for the Order of the Phoenix.

The couple walked down the aisle twin smiles on their faces, hands clasped together and their free hands waving as they walked. They turned left toward the dungeons when they exited the Great Hall and made their way down to Snape's private rooms. There would be a reception but they wouldn't be there. Hermione had tried to convince Dumbledore that they didn't need a large reception but he'd insisted on it so they'd came to the compromise that they'd have one but wouldn't be there.

As soon as the door to Snape's rooms closed behind them they broke apart and went to separate sides of the room. Hermione turned to the kitchen to make tea and Snape went to the bedroom to change his clothes. She pulled the veil from her hair and laid it on the small table in the corner of the small kitchen. She didn't see why Snape needed the kitchen at all but she guessed he didn't want to disturb the house elves every time he needed something. She began to make the tea by hand thinking it was slower and would keep her busy longer than if she'd made it with magic.

She took the kettle and sat it over the fire in the living room before going back and getting two cups from the cupboard and selecting two tea bags from the canister on the counter. On her way back to the living room fire she tripped over a corner of the rug but before she hit the floor two arms wrapped around her waist and caught her. She sucked in a breath and held it as the arms pulled her up and put her to rights. She held herself stiff as the arms stayed around her longer than what was really necessary.

"You'll have to watch more where you're going in here. Things are always trying to jump out and attack you." His attempt a humor didn't go unnoticed. And Hermione gave a real smile and a laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said as she bent down to pick up the cups and tea bags. He reached down to help her and she noticed he had changed into his teaching his robes. She looked down at her white dress and wished she'd had a change of clothes brought here. He noticed and rose with her, taking the shattered pieces of cup from her.

"Dumbledore had your things brought down here. The elves have put them away." She stared up at him in disbelief. Dumbledore had moved her into the dungeons with her husband. "Go change and I'll finish making tea."

Slowly Hermione rose and walked toward the bedroom Snape had just exited. She closed the door behind her and took a quick survey of the room. The walls were covered with heavy black wall hangings that made the room darker than it already was. The light from the candles illuminated a large four poster bed covered in black and green satin. She walked forward and ran her hand over one of the polished mahogany poster and down to the bed coverings. The silk felt good against her bare skin and she could only imagine what it would feel like to roll naked in them with a certain man who just happened to be her husband.

As soon as she realized her thoughts were straying to places they shouldn't she pulled back from the bed and turned toward her trunk that sat beside Snape's in the corner of the room. She opened it but there was nothing inside. She looked around the room and noticed a chest of drawers and a closet. Walking over she opened the closet and found her things hanging beside his. The sight made it real, for the last few days it had all seemed like a bad dream. But seeing her things hanging with his things in the closet made her step back. She backed until she bumped into the bed and dropped down onto the soft mattress burying her face in her hands and letting the tears flow down her face.

She sobbed until her throat was soar and her eyes burned. She was curled in the middle of the bed when she heard the door open and the sound of footsteps coming inside the door closed softly behind the person. The bed dipped as the person climbed on and she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Miss Granger, please, do not cry. I'm not going to touch you; you'll remain as you were when you came here. I'm not going to make you consummate this marriage." Hermione rose up and blinked a few times. He came into focus, the look on his face one of concern and understanding.

"It's not that." She moved to sit completely up and wrapped her arms around her knees the puffy dress getting in her face. Snape reached over and pushed it down for her and she gave him a soft smile. "I just never thought that I'd find myself eighteen, married to a man who doesn't love me and whom I don't love, and in the middle of a war that could very likely kill everything I care about." She brushed her hand over her face. Mascara ran in small rivers down her face and she knew that her hair was a mess but she didn't care, it wasn't like she had to worry about Snape thinking she was ugly. He hated her.

"Well, since we're being so open with each other I'll tell you right out I never expected to be forced to marry one of my students. I never expected to be married at all. And it was a bit of a shock when I found out that Dumbledore had picked you for me. What kind of self respecting man has to have his boss find him a wife so he won't get thrown into jail?" Hermione nodded and for the first time she felt like she understood Snape.

"Professor, I'm not really sure what you're expecting of me as your wife but I'm going to try and be a good wife for you. This might be a marriage by name only but it's a marriage nevertheless." Snape gave a smirk and shook his head.

"And the great Hermione Jane Granger never does anything half way." She put her head up straight and straightened her shoulders.

"That's right." She said with a brisk nod and let her arms fall away from her legs. She lay back on the bed and sighed. "This had been one hell of a week." The curse was mild but Snape looked down at her for a moment before he let out a laugh. It came from deep within him making his whole body shake. She stared at him and shook her head.

"Its highly unlikely you've never heard a woman use the word hell before." He shook his head and tried to get control over himself. She looked at him, she couldn't believe he was laughing, much less at her. She gave him a gentle shove that sent him back onto the bed and he smiled up at her.

"Sure I have but I never thought I'd hear the word come from your mouth Miss Granger. You were always too proper." She rolled her eyes and through herself dramatically back onto the bed. Putting her hand over her eyes.

"Oh, gods save me I've married an idiot." He smiled and rolled over onto his side grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand down from her eyes. She stared up and him and found herself thinking that he was indeed a very handsome man.

She felt herself being pulled toward him as she looked up at him. It was like he was a magnet and she was a piece of metal caught in the magnetic field that surrounded him. He to was getting closer to her. Feeling her eyes drift shut she held her breath in anticipation, she might have hated him but she wouldn't deny his kisses made her feel something that no one else had ever made her feel before in her life.

When his lips touched hers she let out that breath and welcomed the heat that consumed her. The way his lips pressed against hers and formed to her mouth made her shiver with need and her heart raced as if she had just run a mile.

The effect was similar for him as well. He could feel her pulse beating wildly beneath his fingertips as he raised his hands to cradle her face in his hands. He felt the shiver and pulled back slightly thinking that she was scared. But she quickly leaned forward pressing herself into him knocking him back against the bed. They kissed for several minutes before she pulled back and rolled to her back. They lay beside each other breathing hard and trying to make since of what had just happened.

"Hermione…" He paused when he realized he'd used her given name and looked over at her. She stared back at him and shook her head.

"You're my husband it's only fair you get to us my given name sir." She added the _sir_ just to see his reaction. He stiffened and blinked.

"Being my wife it's only fair you should get to us my given name." He took a deep breath and tried again. "I already promised you that you would remain as you were when you came here, I'm not going to touch you. I don't know what you want from me but I will be your husband in every since of the word, anything you want from me you just have to ask and I'll give it to you if it's in my power to give." She reached over and took his hand holding it up and kissing his knuckles.

"Am I an awful person for wanting you to make love to me?" The bluntness of her statement caught Snape off guard and he thought he might have laughed at her if it hadn't been for the serious look on her face. She was serious? What the hell was she thinking? But he wouldn't deny her the simply joy of being with a man if that was what she wanted. And truthfully he was curious as to what it would be like with her in his arms.

"I don't think you are." He whispered watching as she sat up and faced him her hands fumbling in her lap. Reaching over he pulled them apart and kissed her palms carefully nipping at her skin to cause a shiver.

She watched as he slowly began to move up her bare arm toward her shoulder and neck. The shiver that ran through her was part fear part pleasure. The fear of how much she was enjoying it and the pleasure from the feel of his soft lips on her bare skin.

Hermione was no virgin but she also hadn't been so stirred by a man before. He invoked emotions in her that no other man had ever been able to in her whole life. He made her feel protected and fragile. He made her feel loved.

"Severus." She whispered just before his lips captured hers in a kiss that was not like the others. This kiss was made to arouse, to stir her emotions into frenzy. And boy did he do a good job of that. She felt like she was about to come off the bed and float toward the ceiling.

She reached down and clinched the bed sheets with one hand while the other came up and tangled in his hair. The midnight locks slide though her fingers like fine silk as she brushed her finger through it. It wasn't greasy or matted like it appeared. She felt his hand move up to grab a handful of her bushy brown hair. He gave it a quick tug that sent her head back and he began to feast on the pale white skin of her throat.

"Oh Gods." She whimpered as his other hand moved to form over her breast through the material of her gown. Hermione hadn't expected him to move quite so fast but she guessed it was good for both of them because it kept her from thinking and made her want to act. She ran her hands down his shoulders and found the row of buttons on the front of his robes. Beginning to pull them apart she wiggled under him at the feel of his arousal pressed against her thigh. He'd said he won't touch her, that she would remain as she was when she'd came down to him but she didn't want to remain as she had been.

Inside her there were emotions she hadn't known existed and holes that she hadn't noticed before and Snape seemed to fill all of those. He made emotions she had never felt before float to the surface and a kind of pleasure she'd never experienced grabbed a hold of her and made her arch underneath him trying to press closer to his heat.

"Hermione." He whispered as she pushed at the open robes to shove them off of his shoulders. She looked down and noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath his robes.

His chest was firm and covered with just a light amount of dark hair that lead down to his toned torso and disappeared into the waist of his trousers. She brought her hand up and swept a hand from one shoulder to the other feeling the muscles beneath her hand tighten. She slowly ran her hand down his side and then back up. Hermione hit a spot just below his ribs and he jerked pulling away from her small cold hand.

"Sorry, I'm a bit ticklish." She smiled and reached back over moving above that spot his breastbone. She noticed for the first time the scar that ran from just below where his heart beat to his navel. Turning questioning eyes up to him she saw him shut off and retreat into himself.

"No," she whispered bringing her hand up to his cheek and making him look at him. He refused to look her in the eye and she had to surpass the urge to curse.

"I'm not going to ask you to understand anything that I tell you but I do not wish to speak of this tonight." The words were sharp and aimed to hurt her. But she did understand much more than he thought.

"I'm not going to press you for answers…at least not right now." She sat up and pushed him back onto the bed moving over him. He seemed surprised by the move and she had to bit back a smile. Snape thought she was a timid little virgin, oh how sweet. She reached behind her and easily found the zipper at the back of her dress. Dragging it down slowly she watched Snape as he watched the dress slip lower on her breasts.

The little strapless number fell around her waist and hung at her gently flared hips baring her upper body to his gaze. He watched as she gave her hips a little shake and bumped the noticeable bulge in his pants while her dress slid further down to pool around her legs. She moved a little to get her legs out of dress and Snape reached to help.

She wore a pair of white thongs beneath the dress and had neglected the stockings and garter. Her conservative white pumps where taken off and slung across the room, neither caring that at least one hit the wall and slid under the chest of drawers. All of his attention was focused on the body that she had just bared to his gaze.

She was the picture of perfection, as beautiful as any eighteen-year-old girl had a right to be. He had never noticed before this moment how she had changed over the years. Her were fuller and her limbs longer than they had been when she'd first came to Hogwarts. It must have been the fact that she was a royal pain in his arse all of the time that had kept him from noticing the changes before. Not that he would have. She had been his student till a little over an hour ago when she'd changed status from student to wife.

He slowly reached forward, not wanting to scare her and ran his hand down the smooth skin of her shoulder to her elbow then back up and along her collarbone. He had guessed by this point that she wasn't a virgin and if she was she was good at hiding it. She seemed to have no inhibitions or limits but he had learned quickly in life things weren't always as they seemed.

He moved his hand further down as she startled his hips watching him. Her eyes locked with his as he reached her breast and gently cupped it in his hand. She tilted her head back a little and exposed the delicate white skin of her neck to his gaze. Sitting up slightly he pressed a kiss to where her pulse throbbed against the perfect flesh. Hermione reached down and tangled her hands in his hair holding him to her, as close as she could get him.

He kissed his way down her throat. When he reached her collarbone he suckled gently but hard enough to leave his mark on her. She gasped when she realized what his was doing and pulled back to look at him. He simply smiled up at her and licked the red spot on her skin.

"People are going to ask questions about that." She said matter-of-factly as he continued down her body to her breasts. He stopped just before he reached her nipple and looked up at her. Her eyes were glazed over and her head lolled to one side as she looked down him. He could feel her heart pounding as he laid his lips over her heart and pulled back again.

"I'm your husband Hermione, they won't ask too much. Most of the people here know what happens between a man and a woman on their wedding night." With that he bent forward and latched onto her nipple. She cried out in pleasure as she arched into him trying to feel more of his mouth on her aching breast.

"Oh gods Severus." She whimpered when he took his mouth away and began to kiss his way over to the other one. He outlined the dusty peak before he took it between his lips and suckled her. He felt her muscles tighten under his hands as he ran them over her back and molded them over her shoulder blades to hold her close and firmly in place in front of him. Her moans and cries of pleasure where more arousing than any sound he had ever heard before in his life and he gently began to brush himself against her.

"I want you so much." He told her as he moved from her beast to look up at her. She had her hands fisted in her own hair and her head thrown back as she breathed heavily. He watched as her breasts rose and fell rapidly and her stomach muscles contracted with the pleasure of it. He moved his hand down to her stomach and pressed his hand against it. He felt the muscles and how they quivered under his hand and felt his own stomach clinch with desire. He pressed a kiss to her breastbone then started on his way down her body.

She could feel the dampness on her white thong as he moved down her body toward her core. He gently pushed her back on the bed and rolled on top of her. She welcomed him as he settled himself between her legs and kissed her inner thighs. The sensations rocked her body as she felt him run his hands over her legs bring on knee up and bending it. He pressed a kiss to the knee the started back up the inner part of her leg toward her core again causing several moans of frustration to emit from Hermione.

"Would you please get to the point?" She cried when he bypassed her again and moved back up her stomach to her navel gently kissing and suckling the rim. He left another of his red marks there and smiled when she made a very unladylike snort in the back of her throat. "And stop that. I don't need anymore hickies on my body." He moved back up her body and she glared at him. Hermione was about the only woman he knew who could be wrapped up in the thorns of passion and still find the strength to glare.

"That my dear, is where we disagree. I think you need a few more. You are mine and I plan to make you a marked woman before the night is through." He told her as he bent his head down and ran his tongue along the shell of her delicate little ear.

"I don't mind being a marked woman but this is a little extreme." She said gesturing to the two hickies already in place on her body. He smiled and kissed her mouth before she could say anything else.

"If you don't control your tongue sweet, little wife I'm going to have to resort to drastic measures." She started up at him and searched his face for something. Whatever it was she must have found it because she smirked and settled back against the pillows on the bed.

"Fine, have your wicked way with me but do remember I will return the favor three-fold next time." He thought for a moment it was an empty threat, that she was just blowing smoke. But in her eyes he saw the sparkle of the threat. He smiled and nodded.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He moved back down her body again and this time when he reached the space between her thighs he pressed a kiss to her through the sheer white clothe that covered her. She gasped and shivered as he nuzzled her thigh and hooked his thumbs in the elastic band of the thong. Slowly he pulled them down, baring her to his gaze as she arched her hips slightly to let him pull them down her hips and legs. He threw the barely there panties off the side of the bed and came back to the spot that had just been bared to him.

Hermione watched as he looked at her. She knew that he had seen a woman's secrets before; he was too skilled of a lover not to have. But he just stared at her for a moment before carefully bending forward and pressing a kiss to the crease where her thighs and hips met. She felt his tongue run along the crease till he reached her. He reached up and parted her folds sliding his tongue along the pink inner flesh. She felt the cry building in the back of her throat but pushed it down. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream just yet. He moved his hand and pressed a finger inside of her causing the scream she'd been holding back to be forced to the surface and be emitted from her mouth.

Snape heard her scream and smiled against her wet flesh. She tasted like nothing ever had before feeding his hunger and making him want more. She was a truly forbidden fruit and now that he had had his taste he wasn't going to stop. He worked his finger in and out of her as she arched her back and made unintelligent noises. He took pride in knowing that he had reduced the silly little bookworm into nothing but moans and small sounds. He carefully added another finger and absorbed the filling of her stretching to accommodate him. His erection pressed against the front of his pants and was becoming considerably uncomfortable as he continued to pleasure Hermione. She was far more responsive than some of the other woman Snape had slept with in his years. But something about her was different from the others.

"Severus!" The cry came out as she exploded around his fingers coating them with her juices. He reached down with his tongue and lapped gently at her. She shivered and arched her back reaching down to tangle her hands in his hair. He moved back up her body nuzzling her neck as he removed his fingers. Looking at her he at first thought she was a fallen angel. Her brown hair fanned out around her on the black pillows and her eyes closed. Her bruised lips were parted slightly and her breathing was slowly returning to normal. He reached up and traced the line of her nose and her cheekbones feeling the delicate skin beneath his fingers. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. The sinful brown orbs staring at him as she removed one hand from his hair and cradled his cheek in her hand clearing slightly and sobering a bit. She brought her hand down to his chest and slid it lower still to his heavy trousers.

"Hermione." He whimpered as she massaged him through the material. She reached her hand up and unbuttoned the offending garment sliding the zipper down slowly. Her small, cold hand reached inside the folds of fabric and beneath his boxers to touch him. She watched as his face contorted in pleasure and his breath caught.

"I want you." She whispered into his ear as she nibbled her way up his neck toward his lips as her hand pumped harder and faster. He reached down and pulled her hand away before sliding to the edge of the bed and stepping out of the last of his clothes. She watched as he climbed back onto the bed and settled himself between her thighs. She let out a hiss when he bumped against her throbbing clit. He bent his head down and kissed her as he pressed his way inside her.

Hermione throw her head back against the pillows and arched her hips up to meet his hard slow thrusts. Her hands moved to his back to dig into his shoulders and leave her own marks on his body. He groaned against the skin of her throat as she ran her tongue over his shoulder and up the side of his neck to his ear where she stopped and nibbled on his earlobe. The sensation of him feeling her and rocking against her was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She let her arms fall from his back and brought them up above her head to hold onto the rungs of the headboard.

Unintelligent whimpers came from her again and Snape had to grit his teeth and close his eyes against the feeling of his release coming over him. He wanted her to come again, just once more and then he would seek his own release. He wasn't naive enough to think that she would get off just from his fucking her and ran his hand down her body to the place where they were joined. He found her clit and brushed it a few times with his thumb sending her over the edge. She screamed her release and arched into him triggering his orgasm.

Bending forward he buried his face in her hair and groaned as he emptied himself into her. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and the smells of sex that surrounded them as they lay together in the afterglow. He removed himself from her and rolled to the side laying on his back and staring at the canopy of his bed. She sighed and turned toward him looking at him as she came back down from her high. He glanced over at her and caught her gaze. She smiled at him and he reached over pushing a stray hair out of her face.

Neither spoke nor looked away as they lay together in Snape's bed. Hermione continued to smile at him and he continued to stroke her hair. She moved closer to him carefully, almost as if he was skittish animal that needed coaxing. But when she was lying beside him he wrapped her in his arms and she laid her head on his chest listening to his heart beat. He reached down and pulled the sheets over them.

They lay together for a while until sometime around nine o'clock at night he felt the familiar burn on his left arm. He looked down at the sleeping young woman in his arms and felt a sigh building up inside of him. He quickly drew back and moved from the bed trying his best not to disturb her. He dressed quickly and put on his Death Eater robes and went for his mask. He was about to put it on when she turned over and reached out for him. Finding that he wasn't there she rose up and stretched, the sheets falling down and revealed the smooth white skin of her chest and shoulders to him. He stopped and looked at the red mark on her collarbone remembering how he had placed it there and the events that had followed. She stared at him and tilted her head to the side.

The mask hung from his hand and she knew where he was going. She swallowed and looked own at her lap. The sheets covered her bottom half but her top was bared to him. She felt him move toward her and sat down on the edge of the bed. She hadn't expected him to wake her when he left for the Death Eater meetings with Voldemort but she would have liked if he would have given her a warning. Snape reached forward and with one gentle hand turned her face up to his. She cleared her throat and started to speak but he laid his thumb over her lips shaking his head.

"Don't say anything Hermione. I wasn't going to wake you but if you want me to from now on then I will." She nodded and he bent forward pressing a kiss to her forehead. Tear welled in her eyes and she didn't know why. It wasn't like she was afraid she would lose him. She didn't really love him; it must have been the aftereffects of great sex. But her heart still ached and she still found herself crying softly into his shoulder as he sat beside her on the bed. He hissed and pulled back giving his left arm a shake to help try and ease the pain. She noticed and reached for his mask helping him put it on.

He stood and turned to leave but she reached forward and grabbed his hand pulling him back around to look at her.

"Come back safe." Was all she said then with a kiss to his hand she let him go. Watching as he walked out the door she felt the tears start anew and closed her eyes against them. She shouldn't have felt anything but she did and she felt the dam break as door closed with a soft thud behind him. She found herself wondering if this was what it would be like for the rest of her days. Would she be woken by him telling her he was leaving for a meeting? Would she always have this fear that he would not come back? Would her heart always break at the sound of the door shutting behind him?

Hermione lay down on the bed and reached over to gather the pillow that still carried his scent close to her. She didn't love him but she found that she didn't hate him either. How could a woman hate a man who had given her as much pleasure in one night as she had had in her whole life? So she settled for wrapping her arms around his pillow and pulling the sheets and blankets back over her body. She felt cold and shivered as she lay there alone in the big empty bed. The cold seemed to reach all the way inside of her and stroke her bones. Not even when she reached on the bedside table for her wand and lit the fire was there any warmth to be found. Closing her eyes she saw images of the wedding and the lovemaking that she and Snape had participated in afterward.

No she didn't love him but she couldn't find it inside of herself to hate him any more.

**TBC **

**I think this is going to be one of my best stories if it turns out like I want it to. So review and make the kitten happy. Maybe, she'll quite drinking (not likely). Chapter 2 will follow shortly I hope, having a few problems with my creativity but I think this is about the only story I still have a few ideas for so just bare with me on this one.**

**Thanks,**

**-KC**


	2. Their First Morning After

_Dear Readers,_

_Thank you for all the reviews and I hope you will continue to review this story and any others that you are reading. I really encourage reviews because it lets the author know that someone really is reading their stories and I find that it helps get the author's creative juices flowing. Thank you for the reviews and the kitten thanks you to (Special thanks to oscarxena who reviewed and said that they had the shot glasses lined up the kitten really appreciated that because I haven't been letting her drink as much lately). So here is to the kitten drinking and giving me some more ideas, I don't know if this is as good as the first chapter but I tried to put in as much detail as I did in there. This chapter also hints at a romantic side to Snape and that McGonagall and Dumbledore had a romantic relationship._

_Keep the reviews coming,_

_KC_

_**Chapter 2: Their First Morning After**_

Hermione woke the next morning at five thirty and found that Snape had returned. His Death Eater robes were lying at the foot of the bed along with his mask but the man was nowhere to be seen. She heard the sounds of the shower off to the right and felt her heart leap with joy. If the shower was running he must not be hurt to badly. Nevertheless she rose and wrapped her robe around her and proceeded to start her morning routine. It was interrupted when the man in question stepped out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel on.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up this early." He said picking up his robes and mask to put them away. He turned his back to her and dropped the towel. Hermione's brush stopped mid-stroke when she noticed the red whelps that covered his back. Turning on the chair of the vanity that had been set up in Snape's private rooms for her she looked at him fully. They were long and covered his whole back from shoulders to arse covering the marks she had left there last night when they had made love. He rolled his shoulders a little and she could tell that the angry red whelps where more painful that he acknowledged.

Getting up she went to him and felt her heart squeeze in her chest. She raised a hand and touched the bruised flesh gently. Snape hissed and turned to her opening his mouth to scowl her but the tears in her eyes stopped him. He watched as a single teardrop slide down her cheek closely followed by more. Hermione gave a chocked sob and he opened his arms holding her closely to him. She pressed her head into his shoulder and held him to her. Her arms wrapping around his waist but not squeezing and barely touching for fear of causing him more pain than he was already in.

"They don't hurt as much as it seems." He whispered to her as she cried into his shoulder, he didn't seem to be the least bit uncomfortable with his nudity. But after last night it seemed there was no reason. She turned her blood shot eyes up to him. He felt his heart drop down into his stomach as he noticed the pain in her eyes.

"They still hurt." She said her voice sounding raw and harsh. He stepped back slightly and sat down on the edge of the bed. He pulled the wrinkled sheets over him and took her hands in his. She stood in front of him her perfect body covered by her white nightdress. He could just see the hickie he left on her collarbone and felt the familiar sizzle of desire race through him. "Why?" The question was out of her mouth before she realized she had asked it and he looked up at her.

He chose his words carefully not wanting her to think that he had been whipped because of her. But the Dark Lord had been extremely displeased to find out that he had been married to one of Harry Potter's best friends. The punishment had been a little more severe because she was a muggle-born as well. Being a muggle-born himself the Dark Lord seemed to hate the type more than most pureblood wizards did. Why Snape would never understand but the whelps on his back were to serve as a reminder that he was one of the few followers the Dark Lord had left and as such he was susceptible to the fury of the other man.

"Because of my marriage." He knew the instant the words left him mouth that they where the wrong thing to say. Hermione went rigid in front of him and her eyes welled again with tears. _Damn it to hell and back a million times over_.

"Because you married me he punished you?" She stepped back from him and turned looking around for an escape and not finding one other than the door which lead to the outer rooms and into his classroom. She could walk out but then where would she go, she was in her nightdress with no shoes on and blood shot puffy eyes and a red nose and cheeks. People would ask questions and she wasn't sure she could lie her way out of this one.

"Well, yes and no. He punished me because I married a muggle-born and because you are the best friend of the person the Dark Lord hates the most. He also found out that Dumbledore had picked you for me and was extremely displeased about that. It wasn't entirely because of my marriage to you but more of the events as a whole." She turned back to him shook her head.

"Do you ever tell the truth or do you just beat around the bush all of the time?" The words stung as if she had smacked him across the face. He felt his heart crack a little and stared at her. Hermione's eyes went wide when she realized what she had said and her mouth dropped open.

"Oh gods, Severus I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like…" He held up his hand and silenced her. She closed her mouth and walked forward to him. Reaching out she laid her hand on his cheek and made him look up at her. She could see the hurt and something else swirling in his eyes as she stared down at him. He reached up and covered her hand with his. He drew it away and turned his head pressing a kiss to her palm causing a lump to form in the throat and she had to chock down a new set of tears.

"I was 'beating around the bush,' as you said, because I didn't want to hurt you. The truth of the matter is he still thinks I am one of his men, his follower and he will continue to think that until the very end. I have spent several years as his follower and until young Potter finds a way to rid this world of him I will continue to be one of his followers but not as the others are. I am a spy, Hermione, a double agent, if you will, and he was very displeased to find that I had married a muggle-born friend of his worst enemy. The Dark Lord saw it as a betrayal and when you add Dumbledore into the mix he was furious with me. I expected no less than the punishment I received. The Dark Lord is a very…vengeful person and I don't think he would have stopped at whipping me if it hadn't been for Lucius." Snape thought about how the other man had stepped up and taken his side. For his troubles Lucius had also been whipped but enough blood had been drawn to satisfy the Dark Lord so it had been left at that.

Hermione looked down at her husband and found herself heaving a heavy sigh. She looked down at her bare feet and then at his. She let her eyes move up over his legs and the sheet that covered his very impressive manhood to the toned stomach and well defined chest and up his neck till her gaze landed on his lips. She bent forward and kissed him softly telling him without words that she was sorry and that she understood what he had just told her.

"Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey about the whelps, I'm sure she has something that would help you." She said as he pulled away from her and ran a hand over her hair. He smiled at her and nodded standing up and turning toward the closet. He pulled out his teaching robes and began to get dressed while she went back to the vanity to finish brushing her hair. He turned after he was dressed and watched her. She was trying to pull her hair back in a black and green ribbon but some of her unruly hair escaped and she growled in frustration. The scowl on her face only made her look more beautiful than she had been before. He took petty on her and went to help her.

Stepping up behind her he took the ribbon from her. She watched him through the mirror as he gently pulled her hair back and expertly knotted the ribbon in place. He met her eyes in the mirror and she smiled at him. He bent forward slightly and pressed a kiss to her crown before he turned to exit the room. He stopped at the door and turned back to her.

"When you come to breakfast this morning there's a spot for you sat up at the head table beside me…Dumbledore insisted." Hermione nodded and looked down at the table of the vanity.

"Thank you." She said but when she looked back up he was gone. Turning to the mirror again she studied herself. Her eyes were still blood shot and puffy but her nose and cheeks were no longer red. Picking up her wand she preformed a simple spell to take the aftereffect of her tears away. She then smeared the lightest touches of makeup onto her face before rising to dress. She flipped through the things that hung there and grabbed her school uniform. Just because she was the wife of a professor didn't mean that she could break the rules and get away with it. Not that Dumbledore would have said much to anyone; as long as they wore their school robes he didn't really seem to mind. But as she dressed her gaze slide back to the bed and her mind slide back to the night before.

She remembered it all so vividly. It had never been like that before with any of her other lovers. Not that they had been anything to compare him to, they paled in comparison to the pleasure she had received at the hands of her dark and mysterious husband. She had thought about him when she had gotten up at about midnight to take a shower to try and warm her cold bones. The thought of having touched herself while thinking about him last night brought a blush to her cheeks and she turned to sit on the low vanity seat to put on her socks and shoes.

Once she was dressed she walked out into the sitting room of Snape's private rooms and reached down beside one of the two chairs that sat beside the fire place for her book bag. She was surprised to find a single red rose lying on top of her bag. She picked it up and found a plain white envelope laying underneath it her name scribbled across the front of it in Snape's handwriting. She stared at it for a moment before picking it up and opening it. She pulled out the piece of parchment and unfolded it.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I wanted to apologize further for not being straight forward with you this morning about what happened with the Dark Lord last night. I will make it up to you tonight. I will be thinking of you all day until I can see you in private tonight after dinner._

_Your husband,_

_Professor Severus C. Snape_

Hermione stared at the letter in her hand and frowned. He had left her a _love _note, under a rose, on top of her bag, in the sitting room. What did it mean? Why was he doing something so…_romantic_? How could he have guessed it had always been a secret fantasy of hers for her lover to leave her little notes when she woke up? Granted she had been awake for a while and had already seen him but he had left her a note and she thought it was the most romantic things anyone had ever done for her before in her life. And he had said he would think of her until they could be alone tonight. She felt a shiver run through her body at the possibility of what would happen tonight when they were alone. She paused for a moment at the little table and pulled out a piece of parchment, quill and ink. She scribbled Snape a note and put it in the outside pocket of her robes.

Smiling she tucked the letter into her bag and dropped the rose down into a vase that sat on the little table between the two chairs and filled it with a little water to keep the rose alive. Setting out toward the Great Hall she passed a group of fifth year Slytherin's who were crowded around the doors talking. The girls stopped talking and stared at her as she walked past. One of them whispered something to the others and motioned to her collarbone. The others turned to see what she was talking about before they burst into giggles. She stopped and looked at them, they immediately fled into the Great Hall but their giggles did not subside. Hermione walked over and stood outside the doors against the wall pulling a compact from her bag she opened it and surveyed her collarbone. The hickie that Snape had put there last night was clearly visible and she silently cursed herself for forgetting about it.

She pulled out her wand and started to mutter a spell to remove it but stopped. Did she really care what the others thought? They all believed she was madly in love with Snape anyway, so what was the harm in them seeing the battle scars. She returned her wand to the pocket inside her robes and her compact to her bag. Turning she squared her shoulders and raised her head walking into the Great Hall for the first time since she had left it last night after her wedding.

The decorations had been taken down and the room had been returned to its normal state. She felt every set of eyes on her as she walked between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables toward the seat that awaited her at the head table beside her husband. She passed Harry, Ron and Ginny who smiled at her. Ron noticed the hickie on her neck and frowned but none of them said anything to her. She greeted the Professors and the Headmaster with a bright smile before going to the end of the table to take her seat beside her husband. As she sat down she took the note out and dropped it into Snape's lap. He looked at her then at the note but she shook her head. Bending over to reach the pumpkin juice she whispered to him.

"Don't read it until later, when you're in your classroom and have given the assignment." She instructed as she poured herself some juice and returned the pitcher. He slipped the note into his robe pocket and picked up his fork to continue eating. She put some food on her plate but only picked at it. She wasn't very hungry and she felt a little nervous about seating in front of the hall while the rest of her friends sat down at the Gryffindor table.

Snape noticed that she was a bit uncomfortable and leaned toward her a little to speak to her in a whisper.

"If you would like to sit at your house table go. I'm not going to make you sit here with me like some kind of trophy wife. You are free to do as you please in that respect." She looked at him and had to smile. Over the last twelve hours of her marriage she had began to wonder why she'd ever really hated him. Not that she had mind you, she had always thought the man was just a little rough around the edges and needed a good snog for a change. Now he'd gotten more than just a snog from her but even before that she had noticed he was not as he was when he had been just her professor.

"I don't want to sit with them. I'm just fine sitting here at you side, if I had a problem with it I would tell you." She told him in a whisper but she knew that some of the people at the table heard it. Several of the Professors were watching them out of the corner of their eyes she knew waiting for some sign of a problem. Dumbledore just smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. McGonagall had noticed the hickie on her neck and was frowning at Snape with a look of complete distain on her face. She saw McGonagall whisper something to Dumbledore and heard him whisper back to her.

"Honestly Minerva, you didn't expect them to not consummate their marriage, did you?" Hermione looked at Snape who had dunked his head and had the cutest blush on his cheeks. She had never seen a grown man blush and she felt her own cheeks heat at the thought that Professor Dumbledore knew what had transpired between the two of the last night in their bedroom.

"Albus, please, keep your voice down." No sooner had the words left McGonagall's mouth than the magical bell signaled time for classes. Hermione rose and drained her glass of pumpkin juice. She turned to leave but stopped and turned back to Snape who was still seated. She bent down and before she even knew what she was doing pressed a soft kiss to his lips. When she pulled back she could feel the eyes of several Professors and students on her.

"I'll see you at lunch." She told him and walked off toward the front doors of the school. First she had Advanced Herbology with Harry and Ron, which would probably end up as a question and answers session then she had Advanced Transfigurations with several other Gryffindor's who would likely be interested in the story of the night between her and Snape. And she'd tell them, not leaving out a single detail of what had happened, except for the part where he had left her to go to a Death Eaters meeting and came back with whip marks covering his back.

As she entered green house number seven she was greeted by Harry and Ron along with Neville and a few other Gryffindor's whom she hadn't know where in Advanced Herbology.

"So, what was your first night like as a married woman?" Harry asked as they all positioned themselves around pots of unidentified plants. Professor Sprout had yet to arrive and from the sounds coming from green house eight it was going to be a while.

"It was as good as can be expected." She said and left it at that, if they wanted more information they'd have to ask specifics.

"Was it terrible sharing a bed with the greasy, old git?" Hermione turned to Ron and glared at him.

"I might not love Severus but he is my husband and you will not talk about him that way. Do you understand me Ronald Weasley you little pus?" She asked grabbing the front of his robes and balling her fist. Ron nodded feverously and when she let him go he begged Neville to switch him spots so he could sit across from her. Turning back to the pots she began to study it closely trying to identify the plant inside. Harry gave her a side long look and seemed to be weight something carefully. It irritated Hermione that he didn't just come out and say something but with all the other seventh years around she guessed he didn't want to make fool of himself. He leaned toward her and Ron bent in a little so he could hear the conversation to.

"Hermione…I noticed the rather large hickie on your collarbone…if you don't mind me asking, um, how did you get it?" She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to know?" She watched as the meaning of her question penetrated Harry and Ron's mind and the two of them stared at her.

"You're not serious." Ron said before rushing on. "You did actually…I mean you couldn't have actually…Did you?" She picked up a paper that lay beside her pot and noticed that it held the identity of the plant inside and an explanation of what they were to do.

"If you're asking if I had sex with my husband last night then the answer is yes." She didn't bother to look up from the paper but she could feel the eyes of several of the other students on her. A smile tugged at her lips as she silently read then re-read the material on the paper. She heard several of the girls down at the end of the table whispering to one another and the group of Slytherin boys who were at the other end of the table, Draco Malfoy among them, talking to one another to. She had shocked the occupants of green house number seven. But she couldn't find it within herself to care. She thought about the note she had dropped in Severus' lap this morning and the smile on her face widened.

"Welcome to green house seven seventh years. Today we will be repotting Haskinsburg plants. The Hoskinsburg plant is a…" Professor Sprout's voice trailed off as she looked around the table and noticed Hermione among the group. She looked at the young girl and then at the large hickie on her neck. "I wasn't expecting to see you in class for a couple of days, Miss Gran…Mrs Snape." She corrected herself and Hermione offered the older woman a bright smile. She guessed it was going to be difficult for the teachers to start calling her Mrs Snape.

"It was a short honeymoon but an enjoyable one." She heard several giggles from the other end of the table and watched as Professor Sprout blushed. Her wide smile couldn't get any wider so she just beamed at all.

"Right, well, welcome back to us. Moving on…" She only half listened to what her professor was saying while she thought about later today. She knew that several of the students had seen her kiss Snape this morning after breakfast and she wondered how many rumors she had started by kissing her husband goodbye this morning. As soon as Advanced Herbology was over Hermione headed straight for Advanced Transfigurations not sticking around to talk to anyone. She smiled the whole way up to Professor McGonagall's classroom. The groups of students who usually crowded the corridors of Hogwarts would step aside and watch her as she passed. She didn't like that they watched her but she thought it was rather funny.

_Like they have never seen a woman kiss her husband. They were there last night when I kissed him during the ceremony._ She thought as she took her usual seat at the front of the room. She turned her head to watch as several students came into the room. They noticed her and sat closer than usual to the front.

Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her desk and watched as Hermione conversed with several of the students Gryffindor and others. She shook her head as she heard someone ask about Hermione's hickie. The girl should have had enough sense to remove it this morning. Gods knew she'd had to remove her fair share of them in the mornings after Albus was done with her. But she didn't say anything to Hermione. As she rose to begin the lesson she noticed something different abut the young girl she had known for almost seven years. She seemed more relaxed and more focused.

She watched her as the last of the students filed in. It didn't register at first glance but as she studied the young woman she saw the glow. The glow that only came when one was falling in love and had not idea that she was feeling. She had seen that glow on more than one occasion, on the face of more than one girl and even on herself when she had started to fall for Albus. But seeing it on Hermione and knowing that she was married to one of the more secretive men that Minerva knew made her want to warn her. She only hoped that when Hermione figured out that she was falling for Snape it wouldn't be too late. She also hoped that if it was then Snape would have fallen for Hermione as well, because gods knew if he hurt Hermione he would have a bigger fight than he could handle on his hands.

Snape walked between the rows of students who were working diligently on their potions. He stopped to make a few comments but nothing as harsh as what the students were used to. He just couldn't find it in himself to be his usual unpleasant self. It could have been because of the pain from the whelps on his back (which he had to speak with Madam Pomfrey about after lunch) or the note that was locked away safely in his desk drawer.

When Hermione had kissed him this morning before leaving for class he had been shocked. He hadn't expected her to show emotions toward him in public, especially not in front of several members of the student body and most of his colleagues. But he wouldn't deny that he had enjoyed it and the view of her prefect little backside as she'd strutted away toward her Herbology lesson. His mind went back to the note she had dropped into his lap and the moment when he had opened it.

He had just finished lecturing a group of first years, most of them females from different houses with the poor occasional boy thrown in, and was watching as they silently read through their chapter. Snape had sat down at his desk and taken the paper from his robes pocket. Giving the class one last look he had opened it and read the contents. After which he bumped his knee against his desk and let out a loud yelp, causing several of his students to jump and one little girl to squeal rather loudly. He had calmed his class as much as possible and re-read the contents of the letter. He smiled to himself now as he recalled what the letter had said and the promise/threats she had made about the commencement of tonight's activities.

_Dear Severus,_

_I wanted to tell you that I thought it was very sweet of you to leave me a love note before you left for breakfast this morning. It has always been a fantasy of mine for my lover to do something so sweet. I accept you apology for this morning events and will be glad to participate in any activities that you have planned to make it up to me. I will however warn you that should you tease me as you did last night, I will be forced to take drastic measures. I feel it necessary to warn you that I will follow through on my threat to you last night. I let you have your wicked way with me, so it is now my turn to have my wicked way with you. I will, if you ask nicely, postpone this event until you have succeeded in making up to me. I will also be thinking of you until we can be alone together tonight._

_Your wife,_

_Mrs Hermione J. Granger-Snape_

He watched as a dunderhead fourth year drooped a much large quantity than required of dragon scales into a cauldron and sighed. He hated his job sometimes but then there were those times when he found that one student who excelled and surpassed his expectation that lifted his sprits and made his job worthwhile. That student was one he would no longer have in class anymore. He had never, and doubted he would ever again, met another student quite like his Hermione. He fourth year boy began to blow at the bubbles that foamed at the mouth of the cauldron and Snape started toward the other side of the room.

Just as he was about to open his mouth the cauldron exploded and sent a shower of pink, rose scented foam bubbles everywhere. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips holding his temper in check as he reached up and whipped the bubbles from his eyes.

"You've done it now, Henry." The fourth year Hufflepuff girl that sat beside him, he flung the bubbles off of his hands and continued to whip them off of his face and out of his hair. He looked down at the girl who was pulling out her wand to clean herself and the workstation up.

"Put that wand away. I don't think I should have to tell a fourth year student that in my class we don't wave wands and that we clean up the messes we make by hand." Snape watched as the young girl turned her face up to him and gave him an evil look. "I think I shall deduct fifty points from Hufflepuff for both of you…"

"Wait a minute. _I_ had nothing to do with the explosion. I told him how much to put in and he didn't listen. It's not my fault that I'm surrounded by idiots." Henry turned to the girl at his side and glared.

"Oh stuff it Kathy." He told her as he turned and walked to the back of the room to retrieve some towels that Snape left back there for the constant messes. He watched as the boy came back and threw a towel down in front of the girl. She stared at him and he simply stared back. "As for what you told me, I did it. You said precisely three pounds of dragon's scales." He reached for the spoiled book and gently whipped at the page. Looking over the material he pointed to a place at the bottom of the page. "Three dragon scales, not three pounds. You're the idiot Kathy. Now get to work cleaning, I'd like to have some lunch." With that he turned and began to clear the mess, the girl stared at him before grabbing her own towel and beginning to scrub the table free of the bubbles that didn't seem to pop or disappear. The bell rang some time later and the rest of the students disappeared out the door before Snape could yell a homework assignment at them.

"Leave," he ordered the Hufflepuff boy and girl. The two stopped and stared at him for a moment but neither spoke and both scrambled to gather their things and leave before he could change his mind. Snape looked at the mess and snarled. He would have to remember to double their homework assignment tomorrow. Once he heard the door shut behind the students he pulled out his wand his gave it a wave and the mess disappeared. Now he had to go see Madam Pomfrey about his whelps then he could go have a bit of lunch with his wife before classes started again.

Hermione didn't see Snape again until she came down to the dungeons after classes that day. He was lying down on the bed, stripped to the skin on his stomach. A bottle of potion sat empty on the bedside table with a label that told her it was a whelp removal potion. He was snoring softly and she didn't want to wake him so she went on about her business of undressing and taking her hair down. The knot that he had used to secure the ribbon in her hair had held all day and surprisingly so had the ponytail.

She had just dropped her shirt over the chair of the vanity when he woke up. He heard her movements and lay still only turning his head so he could watch her. He watched as she exposed each new piece of flesh to his gaze, he let his eyes roam over her legs and the gently flare of her hips and then the curve of her back, up to her shoulders and her mane of unruly curls. He felt the desire to touch her, his palms itched with it and his stomach twisted with the want for his new young wife. She was so tiny and fragile but strong and brave as well.

Turning to him she saw he was awake and immediately her hands went to cover her nakedness. Hermione new it was no use, that she had no reason to be ashamed of her body around him because he had already seen and kissed places only a couple of other people had and no one from this school. She thought about the first time she'd made love to a man and had to surpass the need to cringe. Vicktor Krum had been less than gentle with her. Then there was the time Lucius Malfoy had gotten her drunk when he'd came to see Dumbledore at number twelve Grimmauld Place, once again she wanted to cringe. She dropped her hands and turned away from him.

"How was your day?" Her voice was like velvet as he turned over to sit up. "Your back looks better than it did." The comment feel from her lips as she walked past him into the bathroom and turned on the taps of the shower. Snape sat up and watched as she made a trip back into the room for her shower robe. He stood testing his legs. After he had taken the whelp removal potions he had almost passed out. Of course Madam Pomfrey had warned him about the side effect but she hadn't told him the intensity of it would be enough to cause him to have to miss half his classes plus two meals.

"It was okay. Two fourth year Hufflepuff's made a rose scented pink bubble mess in my class and I had to cancel my classes after lunch because Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion that she gave me made me pass out." Hermione stopped and turned concern etched deep on her face. She walked toward him and pressed her hand to his cheek.

"Are you felling better now? Can I get you anything?" Snape shook his head and smiled down at her.

"I'm fine now." Bending forward he kissed her and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled against him with a sigh of contentment. She had never expected her marriage to Snape to be so…good. He made he feel wanted and needed, two things no one had ever made he feel before. She pressed a kiss to his chest and the scar that was there.

"When are you going to tell me about this?" She asked looking up at him. His warm gaze turned cold and he let her go, stepping away and seating down on the edge of the bed.

"Later." Was all he said as he looked down at the floor. She watched him for a couple of minutes then turned and started for the bathroom again. Stopping before entering she turned back to him and sighed.

"I'm not going to judge you. You're my husband and I find that I'm beginning to care about you more than I should." Turning she escaped into the bathroom, tears leaking from her eyes as she closed and put a locking spell on the door. The steam from the water washed over her and she let out a sob. She leaned against the door and whipped at the tears. She shouldn't have said anything.

She showered quickly, crying into the spray the whole time. When she exited the room she found that Snape wasn't there. She looked all through their shared rooms but he wasn't there, she pecked into his classroom and found it empty. Going back inside she cradle into the bed and pulled the covers over her head. Surely this counted as their first real fight. Now he would come back after a while and they'd make up and everything would go back to the way it had been.

She couldn't understand why every time she asked him about that scar he turned cold and detected. There was pain there and a reluctance to share it. She found that she was indeed coming to care for him more than she should have. This was supposed to be a marriage by name only but one can not control ones emotions when they were as strong as what she was filling for Snape. She didn't love him but she didn't hate him and she more than liked him. She thought about what Professor McGonagall had said she she'd pulled her aside after class that day.

'_I just want to give you a friendly, woman-to-woman piece of advice Mrs Snape. Be careful about how fully you let Severus into your heart.' _She hadn't thought that much about it till right at that moment. The older woman must have seen the sparkle in her eye. Sure she'd noticed it to and had even acknowledged its existence. But she hadn't thought that others had noticed. Maybe that was why everyone had stared at her in the corridors today; maybe that was why Professor Sprout had given her several side long glances during class. Turning over Hermione reached for Snape's pillow and wrapped her arms around it. Was this going to become a common practice? Would she always want to reach out to him and find that he wasn't there for her?

Tears trickled down her cheeks again and she buried her head against the pillow. Damn Severus Charles Snape to hell and back for making her feel this way. Damn him for making her fall for him. And damn herself for wanting him to fall for her to.

**TBC **

**Tell me what you think. I don't know if it is as good as the first chapter but I think it adds a bit of drama to the story and keeps it from going in the wrong direction. I didn't want this to be a wham, they fall in love fic, Snape is going to have problems accepting Hermione's love at first. I wanted to have a little of his actual character there but I wanted to change it as well. Anyway, review and tell me what you think. Was it good? Did it suck? Do you want more?**


	3. You've Got To Talk To Me

_**Once again many thanks to oscarxena for the great review. Kitty got back just fine and said she had a whole lot of fun with you and the two dogs. I am getting ready to send her back to you for some more drinks if you'll have her. I hope you all like this chapter it was really kind of fun for me to write and I wrote it at night and that's when I do some of my best writing. Read and review and I hope you enjoy this. Lots of hugs and sloppy wet kisses to oscarxena. Oh, and don't given Kitty catnip **__**and**__** alcohol you won't be able to handle her trust me. **__****__****_

_**-KC**_

_**Chapter 3: You've Got to Talk to Me**_

Snape roamed the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry aimlessly. He kept thinking about the young woman who was down in the dungeons alone, probably curled up in his bed, hugging his pillow like she had been this morning when he came in. He breezed past the entrance to the Gryffindor dormitories and toward the Astronomy tower.

'…_I find that I'm beginning to care about you more than I should.'_ Her voice had shook with the tears she had refused to shed in front of him and she had turned locking herself in the bathroom. But he'd heard the tears and the soft sobs through the door because she had forgotten to put a silencing spell on it and it had broken his heart. So to keep himself from having to deal with her tears and quite possibly his own he'd gotten dressed and left.

He had never known that one small woman could cause him so much trouble. He stalked up the stairs toward the top of the tower, listening carefully incase any students were out after curfew and participating in activities that were against the rules. He stepped out onto the open top of the tower and looked up. The sun was setting and painting the sky a combination of colors. Snape was taking a moment to appreciate the simple beauty of the scene when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs of the tower. He stepped back as the door came open and his wife stepped out onto the ledge.

She was dressed in her school robes but had left them open so he could see the nightdress she wore underneath. It was green and black silk with lace around the edges. It clung to her body like a second skin and hit just above her knees. He stared at her as she stepped forward and stood close to the edge of the tower. She looked out over the grounds and sighed.

"Why are you so reluctant to let me in?" The question hit him in the gut as he watched her. Her voice shook with tears again but she kept her head turned so he couldn't see. Stepping closer to her he laid his hands on her shoulders and attempted to turn her around but she wouldn't move. He sighed and rested his head against her crown.

"Hermione, I've done things, things that you couldn't possibly imagine. I don't want to introduce you to the darker side of me, not when you seem to have me set up on a pedestal." He felt her stiffen then jerk away from him. She wheeled around her eyes blazing with anger and her breath heaving.

"I have you on a pedestal. The hell I do. I hated you from the first day I meet you and now I'm married to you, I've made love with you and now I think I'm falling in love with you. I don't have you pedestal but I do have you in high regard in my heart. I have never felt for any man I've been with what I feel when you touch me. You make me realize that things are different, that I'm different. No one ever made me feel like a woman, just some scared little girl that didn't know what she was doing. But you're different to, so much different than I thought you would be." The tears cascaded down her cheeks as she stared up at him. He seemed shocked and speechless. Snape opened his mouth but no words came out and she took that as a sigh to continue on. "I never thought I'd find myself married to someone like you. I see so many things in you that you just ignore. You are capable of caring and love. You don't have to live without emotion or in darkness. You have me, can't you see that? Can't you see that you have someone who wants to love you?" She waited for a full five minutes for him to say something but the words never came, turning away from him she bolted out the door and down the stairs from the Astronomy tower.

Snape stood where he was watching her go. When the door fell shut behind her he made for it. She had said so many things, things that no one had ever said to him before. Things about love and caring, things that made him want to love and care for her to. But he couldn't just change on a whim. He had lived without emotions and in the dark for so long that he had forgotten there was light. But she was his second chance for that light. Not everyone got a second chance and the gods knew he didn't deserve it but they had sent her to him anyway.

He raced down the corridors toward the dungeons after her. He would see her turn a corner just ahead of him, always just out of his reach. He thought about calling out to her but didn't want to walk anyone. The last thing he wanted was a couple of rule breakers peeking out of a room and seeing him and Hermione standing in the middle of the corridor arguing.

She had just shut the door to his classroom when he turned the corner and he quickly jerked it open. She was about to step inside their private rooms when he caught up to her. Grabbing her by the arm he turned her toward him and pressed her against the wall. Her tear stained face turned up to him and she sniffed a little. He brought his hand up and whipped away the tears that clung to her cheeks.

"Hermione," he whispered unsure what to say to her. He couldn't spill his guts to her that was just not how he did things. So he did the only thing he could do, he bent forward and kissed her. The kiss was barely a touch and so gentle that Hermione felt her heart swell and her lungs close. It was a kiss filled with emotions and the words that he couldn't voice. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him pulling him more fully to her. Stepping back she reached for his hand and led him inside their rooms.

She walked him to the bedroom before she turned to him and looked him straight in the eye. He could see the emotions that danced there, the anger and the caring all mixing together in those sinful chocolate brown eyes. Her young innocence reached out and touched him. It was not the innocence of an inexperienced girl but the innocence of love and the fear that came with it was overbearing. Her hand came up and cradled his cheek, her fingers rubbing against the smooth flesh. She realized for the first time that she had never seen him anyway but clean-shaven. She tilted her head and tried to imagine it but couldn't, he wouldn't look the same, he wouldn't be her Severus if he had the slightest bit of visible stubble.

He watched her closely as she rubbed her fingers over his cheek and jaw. The touch was intimate, more intimate than any touch they'd shared thus far. He felt the stirring in his blood and closed his eyes as passion rose up and grabbed him. He reached for her but she evaded him.

"Last night you made love to me; tonight it's your turn." She paused and seemed to consider if she should say something. Her face seemed to say _what the hell_ and she said what was on her mind. "Tonight, I'm going to show you that I care. I'm going to show you that you care." Before he could come up with a response to her blunt statement she rose up on her toes and kissed him. Her tongue danced inside his mouth as he parted his lips and he shivered with the intensity of the kiss. Never before in his life had he had a woman kiss him the way Hermione did. She poured her heart and soul into every kiss, even during their wedding ceremony when they had kissed for the first time she had poured herself into it. And that's what he liked most about her. She showed her emotions and was not afraid of it.

Pulling back slightly she turned him around and gently pushed him down to sit on the edge of the bed. She stood in front of him looking into his eyes as she reached up and pushed the robes she was wearing down. They fell from her shoulders and he noticed that her nightdress had thin lace straps, the robes caught on her elbows and she reached over pushing one arm at a time down before letting the robes fall to the floor in a hush of fabric. She stood before him now in noting but her nightdress and he took a moment to look at how the delicate silk displayed the soft curves of her body. She stepped between his parted legs and laid her hands on his shoulders. Snape looked up at her and she smiled down at him. His hands seemed to move on their own accord, reaching forward and moving over the backs of her knees and up her thighs and over her butt to wrap around her thin waist.

She bent forward to kiss him but it was a teasing kiss, the kind that was meant to arouse and frustrate. She barely touched his lips with hers and slowly let her tongue drag across his bottom lip. He groaned and she giggled childishly. He pulled back and looked up at her, at the smile that spread across her face and felt his heart squeeze.

It shocked him to feel an emotion so close to what he had only felt once before in his life. But he pushed aside the thought of his broken heart and looked at the woman who was in front of him now. She wanted to love him, she wanted to be with him, wanted to know things about him that he couldn't tell her and keep her safe. She saw the shadow pass over his features and shook her head.

"I don't want to know anything." He looked confused so she elaborated. "When you're ready for me to know than you'll tell me but don't think I'm not going to push you for answers. I want to know, everything. You can tell me anything and I'm not going to like you any less because what's in the past is in the past. Now is more important anyway." Bending forward she laid her lips over his again and gently pushed him back against the mattress. She climbed over him and straddled his hips while she kissed him senseless. His hands roamed her back and gently pushed the silky nightdress up. He noticed for the first time that she had neglected to where knickers.

"Do you usually make a habit of going without knickers at night?" He asked against her mouth as she reached down to work on the buttons of his robes. She smiled and shook her head, her silky, slightly damp brown curls falling around them like a veil. For a moment Snape felt as if it were possible that he could come to love the young, beautiful woman who straddled him and kissed him so wantonly but in the back of his mind he was reminded of what it was like to love someone and what it was like when that someone walked out on you. He pulled back from the kiss and looked up at Hermione, her breathing was heavy and her eyes glowed with the desire she felt. He wanted to tell her things, he really did but he couldn't keep her safe if she knew some things, he couldn't tell her about the things that he had been forced to do, the lies he had been forced to tell. She might think now that she wouldn't think any less of him but afterwards…well, afterwards she would feel completely different.

"I don't know what you want Hermione." She seemed to sober and pulled back further from him. Observing him as she pulled her nightdress back into place she noticed the shadows that still hunted his lovely features. She lowered her gaze and closed her eyes taking a deep breath and tried to concentrate. She couldn't think when she was aroused and she still was. The words had been enough to make her pull away for a moment but the desire was still burning, still begging for her to let it out. Turning her gaze back up to him she found him watching her. He was thinking about something so hard she could almost see the gears of his mind turning. She spoke and the words came from somewhere deep inside her, somewhere that she didn't know she possessed.

"I want you to love me, to care for me. I want us to have a _real_ relationship, like a normal couple." He regarded her for a moment then shook his head.

"We aren't a normal couple. We were forced together because of some stupid law and what you're feeling for me is natural. I make you feel different and you're confusing that with love." He took a breath and prepared to deliver the blow that was sure to knock her back to her senses. "It was just sex Hermione, it was not love. We consummated our marriage and nothing more, I do care about your welfare because you are my wife and I will continue to care for you until the day I die or you do." He saw the tears and watched as she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Damn you Severus Snape, damn you to hell and may you burn forever." She shot off the bed and grabbed her robes putting them back on she started for the door.

"Where are you going?" He demanded as he leaped from the bed and cased after her.

"I know for a fact that the Head Girls room hasn't been filled since I am still Head Girl after all. I'll be staying there, if you need anything just let me know, I'll have a house elf come down and get my things tomorrow morning." She picked up her bag on the way out and a set of clothes that he had no idea where they had come from and disappeared out the door. He stood in the middle of the sitting room and watched her go, the scene so similar to one from almost ten years ago, in this very same room, in this very same school. He watched as once again another incredible woman walked out of his life.

As the door fell shut behind her with a heavy thud he felt what she must have felt watching him walk out last night for the Death Eater meeting. Tear stung his eyes for the first time in ages and he felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. A single wet tear slid down his cheek and feel off the tip of his chin onto the floor and he swore he could hear it hit the cold stone floor. Blinking rapidly he pushed the rest of the tears back and turned to go back into his bedroom.

She was going to sleep in her old room and she would be moved out tomorrow. Maybe it would do them both a world of good if she stayed in her own private rooms while she was still a student. But he knew even as he thought it that that was a lie. He needed her here, he needed her beside him and to worry about him when he was gone. But he would be damned if he would admit it and hadn't she already damned him enough tonight.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and racked a hand through his long hair. He needed a shower before he went to bed, there would be no night time call tonight, everything had been discussed last night after her had been whipped. Standing he started to undress for bed but something caught his eye. There was a silver picture frame sitting on the bedside table. He paused in removing his shirt and picked it up.

Staring back at him with twin smiles on their faces was Hermione and himself. The tears he had pushed back a moment ago came to the surface again. The smiles on their faces didn't look as forced as they had been. It was a picture that had been snapped as they were walking down the aisle making there escape. Her dress gathered in one hand and his hand tightly clasped in the other Hermione smiled brightly and there was a sparkle of tears in her eyes. It hadn't been the wedding either of them had imagined for themselves but it had been a nice wedding nevertheless. A tear hit the glass and he reached up to feel the wetness on his cheeks as he started at their picture. Oh gods, who was he kidding he couldn't let her leave, he had to talk to her. But she would likely not talk to him tonight, so he needed to give her time to cool down. She would sleep tonight and walk up tomorrow refreshed and ready to talk it out. He hoped.

He noticed that the sliver frame had words inscribed around it and took a moment to read the words.

_Love is fragile handle it with care and that love will grow stronger._ Oh gods in the sky he hoped beyond hope that it did. Because if he lost Hermione, that would be the end of him. There was no question about that.

**TBC????  
**

**Me and Kitty had a fight and she got pissed and ran off but she came back in a better mood and this is what we came up with. I hope that its not to angsty for you guys (bit the way angsty is not a word but we'll use it anyway). Please review, it helps me a lot to know people actually read my stories. I feel that I am neglecting my other fanfic's for this one but it is the best one I have ever written so, just enjoy and let me know what you think.**


	4. I Just Can't Break My Own Heart

_**Okay, once again lots of hugs and sloppy wet kisses to oscarxena for your review and also to everyone else because you guys have given me the inspiration I need to continue on with this particular story. I feel like for the first time that this is going to be a great story like the hundreds I have read. Please understand that I have my own writing style and it's just the way I am. English was not my best subject in school and now that I've graduated High School and am getting ready to move onto college I don't think its going to get much better so, yeah just keep reading if you can. I appreciated everyone's support on this; my mother and the rest of my family think I'm odd because I spend so much time writing these. Anyway hope you enjoy and have a great time reading it. For those of you who think that Snape is too nice, I'm sorry but this is pure fiction and very OOC for him. If you don't like that then I'm sorry but angst kills me when I read it and I have to write a make-up scene. But there is far more angst that could come in this fic, I haven't decided yet how its going to turn out. I just love a good cliff hanger. ;-)**_

_**Chapter 4: I Just Can't Break My Own Heart**_

Hermione woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and aches in places that shouldn't ache. But the most potent ache was the one in her heart. She immediately started to cry as soon as her eyes opened and felt anger wash over her. Climbing from the bed in the room designated for the Head Girl she walked over to the window and sat down. Classes started in a little over thirty minutes but she didn't care. Her heart just wasn't into going to class today. She wondered briefly if Madam Pomfrey had any potion for a broken heart then quickly pushed the thought away. If it was a potion she wanted nothing to do with it because potions reminded her of potion class and potion class reminded her of her husband, whom she never wanted to lay eyes on again.

He had been so cruel and cold last night. His words had cut like knives going into her heart and then methodically cutting it into little tiny pieces. She leaned her head against the window and sighed as she looked out over the grounds. The rising sun cast a cheerful glow over the landscape and made Hermione want to throw something. Turning she noticed a bottle of perfume that had been a wedding present from Severus and picked it up. She weighted it in her hand, gauging just how far she could throw it before she pivoted and slung it against the wall. She watched as the glass bottle shattered and the pink liquid inside splattered the wall and floor. The tears that had assaulted her when she woke dried and she found that the anger she had felt also disappeared. She found herself left with nothing, just complete emptiness.

Walking back over to her bed she climbed back inside and pulled the covers over her head. No sooner had she gotten settled back in than there was a knock at her door.

"Go away, I'm not feeling well." She yelled but the person persisted.

"It's me Hermione, please open the door." The voice of her husband came through the door and she felt her heart beat faster. Getting out of the bed she walked slowly to the door. She didn't want to let him in but she knew that she couldn't leave him out in the hallway pounding on her door. Another student could walk by and see him and then the rumor mill would start full force, she didn't think she had the energy to deal with that.

As she opened the door she looked up at him and frowned. He looked like he hadn't slept at all, like he might have spent the whole night, dare she say, crying. She felt her heart break all over again.

"Thank gods." He breathed taking her into his arms and walking into the room. She pushed against his hold but he held her tight until the relaxed. She didn't want to but the feel of his arms around her made her think of when they'd made love. She quickly dismissed the thoughts.

"What the hell do you want?" The words were sharp and she could see that they hurt. Good, the bastard was going to have to learn that you didn't mess with Hermione Jane Granger-Snape and get way with it that easily.

"I want to talk." She staggered when he let her go and had to reach out for him. He grabbed her arms and pulled her back against him.

"You want to talk now. What's the difference between today and last night? You made it quite clear that you didn't want a relationship with me, at least nothing other than the occasional sexual encounter." Once again she could see the words stung and forgot to care. He was not going to get what he wanted and then leave; she wasn't that kind of woman.

"I'm sorry, I was confused. There are ghosts in my past that haunt me everyday and sometimes they get in the way of things that are more important." He knew that he was on the right track to confessing his feelings but his tongue was already tying itself into knots that were getting harder to untangle.

"What ghosts? I'm not going to settle for a mediocre answer this time either. I want the truth or nothing at all." She knew it sounded like an ultimatum and it was. The truth or she walked and didn't come back. The truth or they might as well have been divorce though they legally couldn't. She saw his inner struggle on his face, the words he wanted to say sat on the tip of his tongue but wouldn't' come out. He turned and walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge. She followed him but sat in an armchair not far from the bed instead of beside him.

"I'm not the same person I was ten years ago. I've gotten older and wiser with the times and I think that maybe sometimes that wisdom makes me do things and say things that are cold and cruel." He stopped and waited for a reaction. There wasn't one so he continued. "I met someone, ten years ago, she was as you are a student and the two of you share similar traits and interests. It's not exactly like looking into the past seeing her standing in front of me but its damn near close. I feel in love with her almost instantly and she claimed that she loved me to. We spent as much time as possible together in secret because as you are aware it is against the rules for a teacher and a student to be anything but. I found something in her that I had never found in anyone else and she made me see the good in myself and in the things around me." He drew a breath and rubbed his forehead. Merlin's beard, where had this headache came from? But he continued on, for the first time feeling the need to tell someone about his past.

"It was about a week before she graduated and she had been accepted into a very prestigious university in Africa. She'd already made the arrangements to leave the night I asked her to marry me." This got a reaction from her. She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. Obviously she didn't want to hear about his relationship with another woman. "Do you wish that I not tell you about what happened to her?" Hermione turned her gaze to his and shook her head.

"No, go on. I want to know why you're so reluctant to love me." But she already knew. The girl had broken his heart and like so many others he was afraid to love again. But she had to hear him say it, had to hear him admit that was the reason he was so cold.

"Well, as I'm sure it's obvious, she turned me down and we had an argument. She walked out of my chambers and left the school grounds. I didn't know until the next day that she'd left but it was already to late. She had been killed by a group of Death Eaters on her way to the train station." He watched as the anger on her face turned to sympathy and then pity. "I felt so guilty about it that I confronted the members that I knew had done it." Rising he pushed his robes off his arms and unbuttoned his white shirt to reveal the scar on his chest. "They were a little less than kind to me even though I was one of their own." Tears fell down his cheeks as he looked at her and she sat there and looked at him.

She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. How had he lived all this time with that guilty? It was like she could feel the guilty in herself as she looked from his eyes to the scar. She felt the tears stinging her eyes as she rose and went to him. She pushed the folds of his shirt further away and bent forward to press a kiss to the scar. She felt him stiffen against her as she used her tongue to trace the thin fading line all the way from its very top to the very end. She closed her eyes and buried her face against his chest as she stood back up.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Inhaling the scent of her shampoo he felt his muscles relax. He'd feared on the way up here that she wouldn't open the door and that she would at the same time. But when he'd looked at her tear stained cheeks and watched as she observed his own with a frown, he'd known. Known without a doubt the Hermione was the right woman for him. She made him feel alive again, made him want things that he hadn't wanted in a long time, but most importantly she loved him like no one else had.

Pulling back she looked up at him and reached to whip the tears from his face. He reached up to do the same but she just leaned into his touch.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered as he bent his head to kiss her. When his lips touched hers she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close and lifted her into the air turning he placed her on the bed and knelt on the edge, his arms at her sides and his hand brushing her hair away from her face. She smiled and pressed a kiss to the end of his nose.

"You can't make that kind of promise Hermione, no one can. We don't know what's…" She put her finger over his mouth to silence him and shook her head smiling.

"Do you ever just shut up and let yourself believe for one minute that what someone is telling you just might be the truth even if you know its not?"

"You mean let myself believe a lie." She shrugged.

"Not exactly a lie but that they can control things they can't, like dieing or living. That other girl, the one ten years ago, she walked out on something that would have been the best thing that ever happened to her and I feel really awful for saying this and I'm sorry but…Her lose, my gain." He looked at her for a moment then a smile broke out on his face. She stared up at him and waited for him to say something.

"You know, I think that I might just have to fall in love with you." He said and her eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean?" He pressed a hard fast kiss to her lips as his hands roamed over her legs. She felt them start at her ankles carefully making her way up to her knees. He moved down to where her legs hung over the bed and pressed a kiss to each knee before tickling the back of them with his tongue. She giggled and squirmed under his ministrations.

"Because you are absolutely, without a doubt, the most perfect woman I have ever met before in my life." She slapped him lightly on the shoulder and shook her head as he gazed up at her.

"I'm nowhere near perfect." She told him as he continued to kiss his way up her legs, stopping as he reached her inner thighs to lave one with long strokes and kisses before turning and doing the same thing to the other. Hermione moaned and closed her eyes, throwing her head back as pleasure washed over her.

"Yes you are." He whispered against her skin as he reached up and pulled her blue cotton panties down her legs and let them hang from one ankle as he moved back between her thighs. She parted her legs for him as ran his hands up over her legs and rested them on the tops of her thighs. He pressed kisses over every bit of flesh he could reach, his hands sliding leisurely over her silky smooth skin. Her back arched off the bed as he pressed a kiss to the top of her sex before sliding his tongue down and parting the folds.

"Don't you have a class that needs your attention?" She asked purely because she didn't want him to get in trouble but she didn't want him to stop what he was doing either.

"Um, your right, I should go down there and teach those evil little creatures something." Hermione rose up on her elbows and looked down at him. Her eyes might have been glazed with passion but she still had that glare on her face. It made him smile against her.

"Those are…children Severus…we'll be…having them…Oh hell, stop that so I can think." She told him in a wobbly voice as he continued to work her with his tongue. Hermione pressed her hips toward him, trying to line him up with the part of her that needed his attention the most but he kept evading her motions and starting over somewhere else. She groaned in frustration and flopped back against the bed. Damn but he was good with his tongue.

Hermione felt the orgasm building up inside her and screamed his name as she let it was over her. She gulped for air as if she was drowning and in all truth she was. She was drowning in the incredible love she felt for Snape. She thought about what McGonagall had said to her yesterday and thought to hell with it. How could see live her whole life never loving her husband. Granted it was a little early to really call it love but she felt something inside of her growing with each day, something that she had never before felt with anyone.

Snape pulled back from her and leaned over her bending down her kissed her softly sharing her taste with her. Letting her taste the sweetness he tasted when he touched her.

"Say you'll stay in the dungeons with me, Hermione." He whispered against her ear as he buried his face in her silky hair and inhaled the soft strawberry scent. He heard her grunt and took that as a yes. He pulled back and kissed her one last time before he stood and grabbed his robes from the floor.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a voice that was so shaky she thought for a moment he couldn't have understood her. He turned to her and smiled.

"I have a class that I have to teach." He reached the door but before he opened it he turned back to her and watched as she sat up on the edge of the bed pulling her nightdress back into place. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a mess and she couldn't have looked more beautiful if she had tried.

"I really wouldn't mind a couple of kids." He told her as she stood up. She quickly slipped back onto the bed and stared at him.

"Are you serious?" She almost screamed as she watched him stand by the door. You wouldn't have known that he had just given Hermione one of the greatest orgasms she'd ever had. Well, you wouldn't have been able to guess if it hadn't been for the very impressive boner he was sporting underneath his robes.

"Only if you want them." He told her as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He quickly jerked his robes around him and turned down the corridor to make his way to his dungeon classroom. Several students stopped and flung themselves against the wall as he walked by them with a wide smile on his face.

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the spot where Snape had just been. He wanted kids? He had actually told her he wanted kids and he'd told her about his past, about the girl he had loved and lost. What a terrible way to lose someone you had come to love. She wondered if he had ever told anyone about his love for the girl. Slowly she rose and started for the closet where she had hung her clothes for this morning. Though she had thought about missing class she knew that she had to go. If she hurried she could catch the end of Advanced Herbology and be on time for Advanced Transfigurations.

She dressed and grabbed her bag from the vanity. She darted down the corridor and out toward the greenhouses but just as she was about to open the door the bell rung inside the castle signaling the beginning of her next class. She waited for Harry and Ron to come out of the greenhouse and hurried up to them.

"Hermione, where were you? Professor Sprout sent McGonagall an owl asking about you. She said she didn't know where you were and that Snape had told her he would find you. Why weren't you with him in the dungeons?" Ron said as she fell into step beside them. She looked at them out of the corner of her eye. Several people having over heard Ron's babbling slowed down to listen in on the conversation.

"How do you know what Professor McGonagall said in her return owl Ron?" His face turned immediately red and Harry gave her a look that had guilt written all over it.

"We were worried about you 'Mione." Harry whispered to her as several of the students looked back over their shoulders in interest. She could almost see the gears in their heads turning to formulate a hypothesis on why Hermione had missed class because she had had a fight with her husband. She could only guess what they were all thinking.

"Well, I can assure you that everything is fine now." She said as they reached the grand staircase and the boys parted ways with her to go to Seventh year Potions while she went up stairs to Professor McGonagall's class.

No sooner had she walked through the door than McGonagall was right in front of her. The older woman looked down at her with worry in her eyes but Hermione just smiled and tired to sidestep her.

"Mrs Snape may I speak with you for a moment please?" Hermione had to surpass the urge to heave a sigh and turned to look up at one of the people she respected the most.

"I was told that you missed Herbology today. Might I inquire why?" Hermione shook her head and looked down at the floor. Gods, why did everyone have to be so nosy this morning?

"It was nothing Professor. Severus and I have worked out our problem for the time being." She went to walk by her but McGonagall held out her arm to stop her. She sighed this time and turned an irritated gaze up at her professor.

"Hermione, Please understand that I am only trying to look out for you." Hermione shook her head again and finally spoke her mind to the one person never thought she'd have to.

"Well, Professor I do believe that am old enough to decide for myself what is right for me and what is wrong. I married Severus out of duty but I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore never expected me to go the rest of my life without falling in love with my husband. What happens behind the doors of Severus and mine's walls is no ones concern. I don't ask you about what happens between you and Professor Dumbledore after hours do I?" McGonagall stared down at the young woman in shock. She opened her mouth to say something but no words would come out. "I'm sorry to be so disrespectful Professor but I don't think it is anyone's concern what happens between me and my husband. Your comment yesterday to me was completely out of order as well. I think I am wise enough to figure out for myself how fully I let myself love someone." With that Hermione brushed past the flabbergasted professor and into the classroom. Several students turned to watch her as she entered with her head held up high and her shoulders squared.

How dare someone like Professor McGonagall, who couldn't even tell the man that loved her how she felt, tell Hermione how to manage her marriage. She took her usual seat in the front of the room and opened her book. She heard someone whisper something behind her and turned to see Lavender talking to Patsy, a fellow seventh year from Ravenclaw. Patsy's eyes widened and she looked at Hermione who stared back at her.

"What?" She snapped and the other girl turned away from her and buried her face in her book. Professor McGonagall closed the door with a snap and walked to the head of the classroom. With one last glance in Hermione's direction she began her lesson.

**TBC????  
**

_**What do you think? I know it's really OOC for both Hermione and Snape but I wanted to do something different with their characters and kind of make Hermione not such a nice person anymore. Did it work? Did I ruin my story or was it okay the way I put it? Tell me and I'll gladly post the next chapter for you. I have had some really great reviews for this one and it has sparked some ideas for my others, which I am in the process of writing.**_


	5. Winds of Change

_**Thanks for the great reviews. I love them as always and once again a special thank you to oscarxena for the great review (you are my muse for this story **__**girl**__**). I have no intentions of getting a beta for my story because I don't have time to work with one. I am about to start college and have once again become very busy with paper work a stuff so just bare with me. I won't let it interfere with my writing but I have a little less time than I did have. This is chapter 5 of this story and I still have quite a few ideas for it. I might end it after, oh say, 50 chapters. No I don't think I could write that many but this is far from over. So read and review and I hope you enjoy everything. This chapter contains a look into some of Hermione's darker past, I thought that since I was writing about Severus' that she should have a few skeletons in her closet as well. **__**Warning**__**: This chapter contains no consensual sexual acts and a mention of violence and death threats.**_

_**Chapter 5: Winds of Change**_

Hermione and Snape's relationship was far from perfect. Everyone knew when they had a major fight because Hermione could be found slipping in the Head Girls room. Several times over the past couple of months Professor Sprout had sent Professor McGonagall owls about her being late for class, though it never affected her grade because she always found a way to make it up. And Professor McGonagall had almost completely stopped talking to Hermione. She guessed that after her little scene in front of several of the professor's students she hadn't known how to act around her. But Hermione noticed that she and Dumbledore seemed to be a little more affectionate with each other in public. Hermione had actually seen Dumbledore kiss McGonagall once before when she was coming to Transfigurations.

Right now she was sitting in the sitting room of her and Snape's rooms with her Transfiguration book propped open on the low coffee table and several scrolls of parchment strung around her as she sat on the carpeted floor. Her eyes skimmed over the pages of the book as she scribbled down notes on yet another piece of parchment. Snape had left a few minutes ago to do his evening walk through of the castle. She had two essays do tomorrow but both only like the finishing touches then they would be ready but the questions McGonagall had given them questions that were giving her a headache. When Snape got back she'd have to have him give her a headache potion.

She heard the doors open and stood up to greet him and ask him for the potion but stopped when she saw it was not her husband who was standing in the entrance.

"Well, Mrs Snape," Lucius Malfoy gave her a very smug smile and looked around the room. "Where is Severus?" He asked stepping closer to her loosening the buttons on the front of his robes. She swallowed and watched him carefully, every since he had seduced her at Grimmauld Place that time two years ago she did not trust him at all. She realized that she was in her nightdress.

"He's gone at the moment he should be back in a little while. You'll have to excuse me for a moment while I get my robes." She turned and walked in the bedroom hoping that he wouldn't follow her. She had no such luck.

He stood in the doorway and watched her as she hunted for her robes. They seemed to have grown legs and walked off. Eventually she found them thrown under the bed and remembered that they had been put under there after Snape had removed them this afternoon after she had came in. She had to surpass a shiver as she thought about the way he had wanted her. She had made it a habit of teasing him throughout meals and whenever she saw him in the hallway. But she had to focus, Malfoy had moved further into the room.

She pulled her robes on and pulled her hair out of the back of it. She felt him standing behind her and stepped forward before turning to look up at him. He was looking at her as if she was naked and she pulled her robes tighter around her because he made her feel like she was. He knew what she looked like without clothes and that made her blush and dunk her head.

"You can wait for Severus in his office." She took a step to brush past him but he reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. She felt the unmistakable bulge at the front of his pants and tried to jerk away. He wrapped his hand around her arm tight enough to leave marks and then twisted it behind her back.

"Do stop squirming Mrs Snape, I'd hate to have to curse you." She felt the scream building in her throat but as she opened her mouth to scream Malfoy pulled his wand out and whispered a spell that robbed her of her voice. "There, not that it would have done you any good. Severus is gone and there is no one in the dungeons but us. Kind of reminds me of the first time I had you. I had to silence you then to. You had quite a set of pipes back then." Tears rolled down her eyes as she tried without any results to plead with him. He turned her and threw her down onto the bed face down.

Oh Gods, he was going to rape her. She prayed silently that Snape would hurry up and get back but she knew that it usually took him at least three hours to finish his complete walk through. There were so many secret passages and things at Hogwarts that you had to carefully check each one to make sure that there were no juveniles lurking in the corridors after hours.

'_Why don't you come with me Hermione? You need a break from your homework and it would make my job a lot more enjoyable.' Severus said as he got dressed to go out and looked at her as she lay in the bed wrapped in the tangled sheets with a cat-in-the-cream look on her face. She shook her head and stretched leisurely. He watched her and smiled climbing back onto the bed and wrapped his hand around her waist placing kisses on her stomach and around her belly button._

"_No, I just had a break. A really good break.' She told him as she reached down and pulled his head up so she could kiss him. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and let his hand stroke her skin gently. She groaned and pulled back burying her head against his chest. 'If you don't leave right now you won't be leaving and I won't be getting out of this bed.' Even after almost three months they still acted like newlyweds sometimes. But that's kind of what they got for not getting married back they were in love and were starting to care for each other. She knew that Severus was coming to care for her more, it was in the way he touched her and the way he looked at her when they were sitting silently together. He smiled and got up walking to the door and leaving to do his job. She got up after she heard to outer door close and dressed before going to start on her homework again._

The sound of metal clinking against metal brought her out of her reflection. She should have gone with Snape, was the only thing she could think as the cold metal wrapped around her wrists and pulled her up the bed. The chains wrapped around posts of the bed and still more wrapped around her ankles and around the posts at the foot of the bed. Malfoy stood beside the bed with his robes open. He was half naked underneath with nothing but a pair of wool trousers on. She swallowed and the tears came down harder as she sobbed silently. He smiled and tilted his head slightly looking down at her.

"Don't cry dear girl. I'm not going to hurt you. Just think of it as…a learning experience. You like to learn don't you?" The words were delivered in a voice that made her skin crawl and her fear climb a little higher. She shook her head and closed her eyes, wishing, praying she was anywhere but here. Malfoy laughed the sound cold and cruel to her ears and she felt his hand start at her ankle and run up her leg. She tried desperately to scream and move way but the chains held her in place and Malfoy had been right there was no one but them. She felt his hand touch her and pressed her thighs as close together as she could get them. He laughed again and jerked them a part running his tongue between her legs. The tears streamed down her face and she closed her. Her stomach rolled and she feared for a moment she might throw up.

Malfoy licked her as she cried. She could feel his arousal pressing against her leg as he worked her. She heard sounds in the sitting room and tried to scream but she couldn't, she had been silenced, damn it she had forgotten. She prayed it was Severus and not another one of the Death Eaters. She looked around desperately for a way to make some kind of noise to alert the person in the next room that all was not well here. Her eyes landed on the chains and she gave them a rattle then another. She pressed her hips further down into the bed and tried to turn away from Malfoy's mouth again but he grabbed her hips and held her still.

"Hold still you stupid bitch." He said as he continued to lick her before reaching up and pressing three fingers into her vagina. Having not expected the invasion and the fact that the only lubrication was Malfoy's spit there was a certain amount of pain, not a great deal but enough to make her sore in the morning. She rattled the chairs once again harder and heard the door to the bedroom open. She hadn't realized Malfoy had closed it. In the doorway appeared her husband and he looked angry.

He stalked forward and grabbed Malfoy from the bed and threw him against the wall. He planted his fist into the light hair wizard's face and the man jerked before he fell limply to the floor. Snape turned back to Hermione and drew his wand out, giving it a quick flick her bounds fell away and with another wave she could speak.

"He tried to rape me!" She screamed as Snape gathered her up into his arms. She was shaking and crying. He stroked her hair and buried his face against her neck.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, this is entirely my fault." He whispered to her. She pulled back and looked down at him. "I should never have told him to come down here and wait for me. He said he needed to discuss something with me and I was just about finished with my patrol, I never thought he would…" He trailed off as Hermione shook her head at him.

"Not your fault. You didn't know that he would try to do something to me. I never told you that he had before and…" Snape sat her on her feet and grabbed her chin tilting her head up so she had to look at him. He held her gently but firmly.

"He has done this before." Anger flared in his eyes and for a moment she was afraid. But as soon as he saw the fear he tired to control himself. How could she have not told him anything about this? Why hadn't he asked about her past? She had pressed him to tell her about himself and he realized the he knew next to nothing about her.

"Once before, when he came to talk to Dumbledore at Grimmauld Place, he gave me firewhiskey. It doesn't matter that was two years ago and it wasn't rape." But she knew that was a lie. Even impaired she had known who he was and what he was. But she had done her best to bury that away and not think about it and it had worked until he had came here tonight, looking at her the same way he had that night. She began to shake more violently and leaned into Snape for protection. He wrapped an arm around her and with his other he waved his wand and using the chains that had bound her to the bed he wound them, more tightly than necessary, around him. He then flicked his wand again and Malfoy came off the ground and hovered a few feet above the floor.

"Come on, straight your robes lets take this to the Headmaster." He felt the incredible urge to take matters into his hands but contained himself. He didn't want Hermione to witness how easily he could kill a man and he didn't want to go to Azkaban prison either. When she had straightened her clothes and wrapped them tightly around her he moved forward and made Malfoy move with him.

As they walked up the stairs toward the Headmasters office he couldn't help but let him hit a few things on the way knowing that it would cause him extreme discomfort when he came to. Snape had not realized he could hit that hard until he had seen Lucius attempting to rape his wife. He looked at Hermione out of the corner of his eye and felt his heart crack a little. She hadn't trusted him enough to tell him that Lucius had raped her once before. He could tell when she'd told him that hadn't been the case that she had been ling. She'd have had to have been really pissed to not know who she was with.

They reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmasters office and private rooms. He gave the password and moved forward taking Hermione's hand in his as they stepped onto the revolving steps. She shivered lightly as she looked at the ground and he pulled her close to him keeping Malfoy as far from her as he could. When they reached the door to Dumbledore's office he raised his hand and knocked.

Professor McGonagall answered the door and seemed very shocked to see them and even more shocked to see the man who was floating just above the ground.

"Albus," she called over her shoulder in a voice that shock. The Headmaster came out of a door on the left dressed in his night robes and stopped when he saw the people in his office.

"What is going on?" He asked as Snape put Malfoy down on the floor in an empty corner, which there weren't many of. The younger man turned to his boss and felt the adrenaline that had been pumping through him start to fade.

"I found Lucius here in my private rooms trying to rape my wife." Hermione felt the tears well in her eyes and buried her face against Snape's robes. He held her tighter and looked at Dumbledore who seemed shocked.

"How did he get into your private rooms?" Snape felt the bottom of his stomach drop out and sighed looking down at the floor then over at the crying woman at his side.

"I let him in. He said he needed to discuss something with me so I told him to wait for me in my private rooms. I was not aware that he had raped my wife once before and didn't know that he had intentions to do it again."

"What?" The question came from McGonagall who reached over and grabbed Dumbledore's arm putting her other hand over her mouth. Hermione lifted her head whipped at the tears on her face. Snape didn't let her go and continued to hold her close to him giving her comfort and she was thankful for that.

"It's the truth Professor's." She whispered and her voice sounded horse even to her own ears. She looked at Malfoy who still lay unconscious in the corner of the office and felt her stomach turn over again. "I think I'm going to be sick." She covered her mouth with her hand and McGonagall rushed forward taking her by the arm and lead her to the bathroom just off of Dumbledore's office. She dropped to her knees and immediately deposited everything she had eaten at supper into the bowl of the toilet. She groaned and tears trickled down her face once again. Professor McGonagall found a clean rag and wetted it before sitting down beside Hermione and pulling her hair back. She whipped her face for her and when Hermione was once again reduced to sobs she wrapped her arms around her.

Hermione was a little surprised by the older woman's show of affection but was glad for it. She inhaled the scent of McGonagall's perfume and found it surprisingly similar to that her own mother wore. She rested her head against her shoulder and cried as the older woman rubbed a gentle hand down her back.

"Come now Mrs Snape, everything is going to be alright." She whispered encouragingly in her ear as she began to rock her gently. She nodded but the sobs did not stop. She felt a slight change in McGonagall and looked up to see Severus standing in the doorway watching them. The other woman rose to leave and Severus stepped forward sinking down to the floor beside her.

"There's nothing to do until someone from Azkaban gets here I'm afraid. They'll want to talk to you about what happened." He reached over and took her hand, turning it over her traced the red marks that the chains had left on her wrists. "That was a very smart idea to rattle the chains to get my attention. But you were always a clever girl." She watched him closely and saw the guilt in his eyes and gave a sigh.

"Stop blaming yourself. I didn't tell you about my past with Malfoy for a reason. It wasn't a big deal, I had sex with him a couple of years ago and I was pissed when it happened and might not have agreed as willingly as he thinks but it wasn't…" 

"I don't know what they teach you in the Muggle world about rape but when you are forced to have sex against your will that is rape, it doesn't matter if you are pissed. If you tell a man _no_ then he should respect that." He watched as she closed her eyes and sniffed before taking a deep breath and releasing it. "Did you tell him _no_ when he got you drunk?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. She didn't trust that if she spoke the words she wouldn't start crying hysterically and completely lose her mind so she just nodded her head and averted her eyes.

He reached forward and turned her to face him pressing kisses on her forehead and cheeks before attempting to kiss her mouth but she pulled away.

"I've just thrown up Severus, my breath probably doesn't smell too good and my mouth probably doesn't taste that great either." He shook his head smiled at her.

"I have kissed you before you have had a chance to brush your teeth in the morning, nothing can top your morning breath I'm sure." Despite herself and the situation she found herself chuckling and punching him lightly in the arm. He reached forward and pulled her into his lap holding her close and kissing her thoroughly.

"Okay," he said as he pulled back and stuck his tongue out, "maybe I was wrong." She buried her head into the soft skin of his neck and wrapped herself as tightly around him as she could get. She wanted to burrow inside of him and soak up the warmth of his body. She felt so cold and sacred even though she knew that the bathroom was warm and there was no immediate danger. But she felt better knowing that Snape was there and that he had saved her. If she had had any doubts about his feelings for her they were gone.

Professor McGonagall sat behind Dumbledore's desk as he stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders as she stared at the young woman who sat in front of the desk and stared off into space. She watched as shadows passed over her face and as she fidgeted with the lapels of her robes. The door to the right opened up and Snape stepped out looking tired. He went straight over to Hermione and touched her shoulder. She turned her face up to him and he bent down kissing her softly.

Minerva felt a lump form in her throat and had to clear her throat to keep from chocking. Dumbledore noticed and smiled down at her giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. She turned her eyes up to his and watched as the love reflected behind his half moon glasses; she knew that the look reflected on her own face to. She reached up and patted his hand before turning back to the two people in front of them. Snape watched them with a raised eyebrow and Hermione gave them the best smile she could muster at the moment.

"I think that it would be appropriate if you two stayed in the Head Girls room for a few days until you can arrange for a few changes to your rooms." Professor McGonagall said as she looked at the two of them.

"I think that is a great idea Minerva." Snape said as he mimicked Dumbledore by standing behind Hermione with his hands on her shoulders.

"There will be a trial so we'll arrange for the two of you to leave for the Ministry and make sure that you get there on time, there will be nothing to worry about. Also I think in light of the events that the two of you should take some time for yourselves." Dumbledore added and McGonagall nodded her agreement. Snape and Hermione both rushed to protest but he held up his hand. "It's not open for discussion." He said and then turned to leave the room; Minerva rose to follow him but stopped in the doorway.

"Severus could you give me and Mrs Snape a moment alone please?" Snape nodded and after giving her a kiss on the crown stepped outside the door and closed it softly behind him. Minerva stood in the other doorway and looked at Hermione for a few moments before she stepped closer to the young woman and sat down on the edge of the desk. She regarded her over the tops of her glasses and then a soft smile spread across her face.

"You really love him don't you?" The question caught her by surprise and before she could ask her what she meant Minerva held up her hand. "I can see it in your eyes. You love him and he loves you but you haven't said the words yet. Don't worry your secret's safe with me. I know that you two often fight when the feelings get to close. It reminds me of how Albus and I used to be before a certain student put me in my place." She smiled when Hermione dunked her head and blushed. "I can't thank you enough for that. I'm going to give you another piece of friendly advice and its going to completely contradict what I first told you but I have changed my opinion of Severus completely in the past few months since the two of you have been married. He's different, you both are, happier even. I just want to tell you to follow your heart and you'll know what the right thing is to do…always. You can go now." Minerva said and watched as Hermione rose and turned to walk away but suddenly turned and walked closer to her. She wrapped her arms around the older woman who immediately softened and hugged her back.

"Thank you Professor." She whispered as she stepped back and turned to leave.

"Oh yes Mrs Snape, tell Mr Potter and Mr Weasley when you see them that the next time one of them fake an injury or intentionally injure another student to get their hands on a note I send to another professor they will be in serious trouble." Hermione stared at her for a moment and then shook her head.

"I wondered what those two dunderheads had done to get Professor Sprouts notes from her. I'm be sure to tell them what you said, goodnight professor." She said as she walked the rest of the way to the door and opened it to find Snape standing on the other side waiting for her. She went to him and he wrapped his arm around her and led her down the stairs.

Minerva watched to two from the doorway and sighed leaning against the doorjamb. She felt Albus come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. She covered his hands with hers and leaned into him.

"Come to bed Minerva, it's been one crazy night." He whispered to her as she stood there feeling him holding her close and sharing his body heat and strength with her.

"Well, it was definitely something Albus." She stepped back and closed the door following him back into the bedroom. As she lay down with him and he wrapped her in his arms she snuggled closer and thought about Hermione and Snape. She had been so scared for Hermione at first by now…well now she was happy for the young woman. She had always believed that love could not grow between two people as different as Snape and Hermione but she had been wrong. And she was not the least bit worried about admitting it. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep wrapped around the man she loved.

_**TBC????**_

_**Okay, that's the chapter so I will ask the same thing I ask every time. Was it any good? Was it just stupid? There will be a great conversation between Severus and Hermione in the next chapter, so there will be some more drama before long. My friend read this story and fell in love with it so she made me write her another chapter and said that it was a great way to add some more drama to the story. This was not where I was planning on going with it but Kitty had a bad day (she woke up with one of the worst hangover's she's ever had in the couple of months she's lived with me, thank you oscarxena), so she was in a pissy ass mood and wanted to write something a little darker than our usual 'stupid fights' as she calls them. So make Kitty happy so she will quite irritating me. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to read some reviews.**_


	6. He Could Rope The Moon

_**Thank you for all the reviews, you guys keep me going. Thanks again to oscarxena for the great review and for all the encouragement you give me to continue this story. You are the best.**_

_**Chapter 6: He Could Rope the Moon**_

Snape sat on the bed already dressed, or rather undressed, for bed and watched as Hermione went through her nightly routine. It amazed him that as much went into getting ready for bed as in getting ready in the morning. He watched as she sat down on the vanity chair and picked up her brush running it through her bushy, curly hair catching several knots and jerking hard. She never winched or made a sound as she jerked but tears filled her eyes. He rose and went to her sitting himself behind her and taking the brush from her.

She watched him through the mirror as he began to brush her hair for her. He was gentle; when he came to a knot he could take the strands of hair in his hand and carefully brush it out. It took several minutes but eventually the brush ran through her hair without any snags and he laid the brush down. He laid his hands on her shoulders. He pressed a gentle kiss to her neck as she tilted her head to the side.

"I suppose you want to talk?" She asked pulling back from him and rising. He followed her and sat down on the right side of the bed as she crawled up on the left side and settled herself against the large pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

"I would like to have a civilized discussion yes. I have told you about my past and until now it never occurred to me that I knew next to nothing about you." He didn't know why it matter but it did. It could have had something to do with the fact that he was coming to adore her more than he ever had. In the past two and a half months he'd seen sides of her that he didn't know existed. He'd seen the sadness in her, what she was like when she was in a happy silly mood, what happened when she was afraid, and all the feelings that lived inside her the things that made her his Hermione. The things that made him love her.

"You know a lot of things about me." She said as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked like a god sitting in the soft light that feel through the long window on the right side of the room. The same door that led to a marble balcony that over looked the grounds of Hogwarts and the lake.

"Sure, I know your favorite color and what you like to eat when your cycles come around but I don't know anything about your past. I wouldn't have known that you were raped had the man who did it not tried to do it again." She looked away from him and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She didn't want to discuss such things with him but she didn't have much of a choice. She had wanted nothing but honesty from him from the very start and she couldn't expect him to want any less.

"Okay, what do you want to know?" She figured it was best to start with the things that he was curious about.

"Was Lucius your first time?" She shook her head and turned to look at him better. He watched her as she fidgeted with the hem of her nightdress.

"No, my first was with Vicktor Krum in our fourth year, though it wasn't the greatest thing in the world. He didn't know what being gentle meant and the whole ordeal was more painful that pleasurable." He raised an eyebrow at her and she had to smile despite of everything. "Yeah, I guess you didn't want to hear that."

"I'll be honest with you I have no liking of hearing about your relationships, sexual or otherwise, with another man." She looked up at him and smiled more fully. He was jealous.

"If I didn't know better I would think you were jealous Severus." She knew that to a man like him it sounded like a challenge and she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and spilled over as he started down at her.

"I am no such thing Mrs Snape. I merely meant that I don't want to hear about it, you didn't want to hear about my relationship with another woman a couple of months ago." She nodded and laid down on her side her head resting on her palm supporting herself on her elbow.

"Okay, but I still think you are jealous." She said not quite under her breath and knew that he heard her but she had meant for him to. She loved those rear occasions when she could get a rise out of him. He always turned playful and loving without even knowing it and was always so gentle with her when he made love to her. Hermione wondered if she would ever find the courage to be the wanton sex goddess that lived inside her. She knew that Snape would fulfill any of her deepest fantasies. All she had to do was ask. But there were certain things that she couldn't voice, things that no one knew about, things no one needed to know about.

Snape reached over and pulled her close to him.

"I'm not going to make love to you tonight Hermione. I'm not going to touch and make you forget. I want to know, I want to understand why you didn't tell anyone." She looked up at him and felt the concern and love for her pouring out of him and into her. Her tears fell silently and she found that she wanted to tell him. She wanted him to understand. It couldn't hurt to tell someone what had hurt for so long now.

"I guess I didn't tell anyone because I was ashamed. I felt like it was my fault that I'd done something wrong to make him want to hurt me but I always knew that it was because he was a royal asshole who didn't know how to respect a woman." She felt the word come pouring out of her and she was helpless to stop them. He reached down and began to stroke her arm from elbow to shoulder and back causing her to shiver. "After it was over and he left I cried so hard that I made myself sick. I worried for several weeks if he'd gotten me pregnant and if he had I was going to make sure that he paid and never had anything to do with the child. I wanted to kill him for what he'd done but I never had to see him. When we came back to school, I wanted to tell Ron or Harry but I couldn't make myself do it because I knew how they'd react. They have always been like brothers to me, I think that's kind of the reason that I never could stay together with either of them as more than friends. So I just kept it bottled up and then when Dumbledore asked me to marry you and I seen him I was scared but I didn't let it show, despite the fact that I was marring out of duty it was still my wedding day and no one was going to screw with it. Then today when he came into our rooms I…I felt all those emotions from the past and then when he touched me…I…I…Oh, gods." She felt her stomach turn again and raced to the bathroom to empty the last of her stomach contents into the bowl.

Snape followed her and wetted a rag to whip her mouth and at her tear stained cheeks. He held her gently as she cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back in circles similar to how Professor McGonagall had done but different. It was always different with him. It was never like it was with anyone else in her life.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked as she turned her head up to his and nodded. "Okay, get up and brush your teeth." Snape pulled back and stood reaching down to help her up. She cradled her stomach and he eyed her suspiciously. She noticed and shook her head.

"I've already had my cycles, I'm not pregnant." She saw a look of almost sadness pass over his face and just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. He left the room and went back into the bedroom to wait on her to finish. She quickly brushed her teeth and went back into the bedroom climbing into the large bed beside him. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close before raising his wand and extinguished the candles and stoking the fire a little higher. She snuggled against him and pressed her body against his, soaking up his warmth and finding comfort in being so close to him.

Closing her eyes she was just about asleep when she felt him shift next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder. He had risen up to sit on the edge of the bed with his back to her. She watched as he sat there the light of the moon falling softly on his shoulders making his already pale skin paler. Hermione wanted to kiss every inch of skin on him but she quickly pushed that thought away. He said he wouldn't touch her. He had said he wouldn't help her forget tonight. But she wanted to forget and she wanted him to be the one to help her forget.

"Severus…" She trailed off when she saw his shoulders shaking and she scooted closer to him. Putting her arms around him she laid her forehead on his shoulder blade and breathed in the scent of his skin. It was something uniquely Snape, something that couldn't be duplicated but something that called to something inside of her.

He put his hands over hers that rested on his stomach and drew on the strength she offered him. It was so unlike him to lean on someone but he needed her. She had become his life and his world over the past two months. He knew that she could tell what he wanted to say when he couldn't find the words. She knew him like no one ever had in his life before. He never cried but here he was with her arms wrapped around him and tears rolling silently down his face leaving wet little streams. His body shook uncontrollably with the pent up rage at Lucius, the sorrow for Hermione who had lost more than she knew, and the white hot hatred for the Dark Lord whom Snape was sure had had a hand in Lucius' coming here tonight.

But out of all of that there was so much love. Love for the person seated behind him and for the courage she had to stand up and brush off the hurts. He looked down at her arms and saw the red welts from the chains that had bound her wrists. Holding her hands in his he raised them up to his face to inspect them closer. There was a large cut on the front side of one wrist; nothing that wouldn't heal on it's own in a few days, and several scratches on the other that would also heal in time. But he knew there would be scares, not just the ones on the outside that everyone would be able to see but ones on the inside that no one would ever know about.

"Its odd isn't it. One moment we feel so safe and secure and then the next something comes along to take that away." The words spilled out of him before he knew what he was saying. She raised her head and looked at him, studying his face carefully in the moonlight. She saw the silent tears, the shed and unshed ones that clung to his lower eyelashes and trailed down her face filling his eyes and making them shimmer. She pressed a kiss to the top of his bare shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze but it didn't seem to have an affect. "I wanted to keep you safe, that's why I never told you anything about what happened at the Death Eater meetings. I thought that by not disclosing some information to you that you would be safe from the Dark Lord but I was wrong." He turned and stared at her as the tears still fell into the silence. She brought her hand up and whipped some of them away only to have them replaced by more.

"What do you mean?" Hermione whispered looking at Snape as tears filled her own eyes and threatened to fall. After she had cried for so long, over things that couldn't be changed she didn't think she could cry anymore. Apparently she was wrong.

"He was more than angry with me for marring you, he was furious. And after he punished me the first time he continued to punish me more still. He stopped talking about important things when I was around, said that he couldn't trust a muggle lover. I've been trying for the past two months to convince him I'm not, that I don't have strong feelings for you." She tensed and he felt her urge to pull away but he held her hands tightly in his. He couldn't let her think that he was telling her he didn't love her. Soaking up some of her Gryffindor courage he said something he wouldn't have been able to say otherwise. "The Dark Lord was always one who could tell when you were ling to him. I guess my feelings for you are more the obvious to the outside world." She felt her heart stop in mid-beat and the breath in her lungs bushed out. She thought for a moment she died, a small death that took her to haven and laid her gently among the clouds.

"I really do care for you Hermione." He said her name as if it were a caress ad she felt it as if it were one. She closed her eyes and soaked up the moment. Wanting to capture it and hang it on the wall so that when they were having a hard time she could look at it and remember. But the mental image would have to do and the mental image was more than enough. Just to hear him say the words, to have him look at her as if she were the sun in the sky made her feel more than anything in the world had ever made her feel. She was surrounded by so many emotions and new sensations that she had to force herself to breathe.

"You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that." It wasn't a declaration of undying love or anywhere close to the corny love scenes she'd seen in several muggle movies but it was damn near close and it was perfect. She wanted to throw herself at him and demand he make love to her. But she knew that tonight was the night for words rather than actions. So she settled for a gentle kiss that seemed to burn the words deep inside of her and make her body hum with undeniable lust. Pushing it away she leaned forward and pressed her head against his chest. Her ear over his heart so she could hear the steady beat of it as they sat together in silence and listened to the sounds the old castle made.

Before he knew it she was asleep and he looked down at her as she snuggled a little closer to him. He smiled at the sight of her. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever met before in his life. He touched her unruly curls and thought of how they looked fanned out on his pillow when he made love to her. She brought everything she was into everything that she did and he would have expected no less from her. Their fights usually ended in a day or two at which time she or he would apologize with a steamy kiss and make-up sex. He had told her time and time again that they didn't have to have sex to make-up but she would just smile and crawl over him kissing him with fever.

He laid back against the mattress and wrapped her tightly in his arms holding her close. She shifted and her breath brushed over the skin of his bare chest causing a shiver or awareness to move through him. Snape tamped it down and pushed thoughts of sex with his wife out of his mind. He had said he wouldn't touch her tonight and by gods he wouldn't. The attack on her was still too fresh in both of their minds and the things they had said and done still needed time to process and be accepted. But looking down at her as she slept made him want her more than if she had been laying on the bed with nothing on but that infamous Know-It-All smile of hers.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her shoulder before resting his head a top it and closing his eyes. Her scent enveloped him as he laid there with her. It was the scent of woman and cherry's mixed delicately with a hint of innocence and love. There were things in the world that she had not yet had to deal with and things in this world that he would do his damnedest to make sure she never had to witness. He would fight to the death before he would let another mans hand touch her as he had, she was his wife and his whole world and without her his life would be over. She meant more to him than anything ever had. He had never loved a woman like he loved his Hermione.

She was his second chance at a good life, to make a family and raise that family in safety. He would never forget the sacrifice she had made for the cause and for him, the things that she had put herself through to make everyone believe that she was in love with him from the start. The hours she had spent producing the image of a girl in love with someone as dark and evil as he. She had made it so clear from the start that she wanted a marriage by name only and that since the law required they produce at least one child, magic or not, she would do as it was told but this was a marriage and certain things would not be tolerated. She surely hadn't factored in the chance that she could come to love him, respect maybe, but love and to be loved by the same dark and evil person who had made her life hell for the past six years in one form or another was something she surely hadn't thought about. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her as close as possible to him giving and receiving the love they shared. He knew that he was not acting like he normally did and that to anyone else in the world he would appear to be a gentle and caring man who loved his wife very much. But those who knew him knew him well.

_But those who know you now have not seen how you really are with your wife and how you hold her at night when you sleep. It is almost like watching a sappy muggle love story played out in real life. And even you know that this is the best your life has ever been._ His mind reasoned as he looked at her pale skin in the moonlight that drifted through a crack in the heavy curtains. He ran a finger from her jaw down her neck over her collarbone, between the valley of her beasts and down her abdomen to her belly button where he stopped and traced the circle with the tips of his middle and index fingers. She sighed and shifted closer to him in her sleep but didn't wake. He smiled and pressed another kiss to her shoulder his hand stilling on her abdomen but laying protectively over it.

One day that same belly would be round with child, his child, their child. A child that was born out of love and caring, a child who would grow up knowing he or she was loved and cared for more than he had. His mother had tired to play both mother and father but it had been difficult for her until his father's passing, which had left them a large sum or money and the house at Spinners End. But the money and house hadn't been enough to take away the fact that Snape had never known his father or that the man with whom half his genetic make-up came from had walked out the door on his mother and their six month old son and never so much as looked back.

There was an old hurt that went further into him than he remembered, making him remember the silent vow he had made himself when he was old enough to understand what had came to pass when he was small. He had vowed that no matter what if he had a child that child would know who their father was and that he would be around for all the things his father had so deliberately missed. First steps, first day at Hogwarts, first girlfriend, first heartbreak, all the things that a son should have been discussing with his father he had been deprived of that privilege. And all because his father had thought with his dick instead of his head and took off with some younger, prettier woman than his wife.

Hermione whimpered in her sleep pulling Snape back to the present and out of the past. He looked down at her and watched as her face wrinkled the relaxed before wrinkling again and another whimper came from her lips. He brought his mouth up to her ear and spoke soft, gentle endearments to her as he stroked her shoulder and arm gently. She quieted after a few minutes and Snape found that his eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute. Closing his eyes the last thing he saw was the small smile that curved Hermione's lips as she slept and he felt his own lips curve in that same smile or one similar to it.

_**TBC????  
**_

_**Well, it is once again time to ask the age old question though I already know the answer: Do you still want more? Sorry it has taken me so long to update I have had a few things going on and it is like two in the morning right now so this is a really late night for me but I can sleep in tomorrow because its Sunday and my parents never do anything on Sundays. Well, review and let me know, I will be starting on chapter seven shortly and hope to make Hermione a sex goddess in her right before long. Need a little inspiration though so threw your ideas into the review and let me know what you might like to see happen. Also, Kitty was very pleased with the reviews she got last time and wanted to say thank you to everyone. You made her feel a lot better and put her in a much better mood after that night out on the town with her friends when she went to visit oscarxena. (Please, for the love of god don't let her do that again).**_


	7. Do I Love You?

**Please read below note if you want to know what is going to happen in this story, events are not in order as they appear and some minor details are probably going to change. This is just a brief outline of the next few chapters so it's not the whole story there are probably going to be things that I have forgotten to mention.**

_**Author's Note**__**: Thank you for all the reviews and for your continued support. I know it's been a while since I have reviewed and I refuse to blame it on Kitty so I'll blame it on myself. I have had meltdown recently and am just getting back into my normal life. Something's that are out of my control have caused me to be away from my fic's for to long but now I am back and hopefully nothing else will divert my attention from my true passion of writing. I hope that all of you like this newest chapter and look for more to come including the birth of a child (not necessarily Snape and Hermione's yet), a wedding, a trip for Hermione to visit Voldemort and be kidnapped and for my version of the final battle fallowed by an ending that is sure to make you at least want to cry (I hope). This is where it's going and I will not divert from my path unless circumstances cause me to. Thank you and I hope that you will enjoy my next installment into this story.**_

_**Chapter 7: Do I Love You?**_

Two weeks went by, two whole weeks, and not a word was spoken about the events that had happened that night in Snape and Hermione's rooms. No one knew, no one needed to know. Hermione's absence had been covered up and damn good. Not even Harry and Ron knew what had transpired and why that every time she was within five hundred feet of Draco Malfoy he shot her a nastier than usual look.

She ignored him however and went on with her life. Hermione was not going to let this ruin her, not if she could help it. Snape had been so patient with her and so caring, he had not touched her in the whole two weeks. Not that it was from lack of trying on her part. She'd done everything in her power to get him to at least touch her but aside from a kiss he had not laid a hand on her.

It was for this reason that Hermione had decided to give it one last try before completely giving up. That's why she had asked Professor Dumbledore to let her have the day off from classing, seeing as Christmas break was only a few days away and that all work that was going to be done was already done. It was for this reason that he had granted her request.

Now she sat on the large bed in her and Snape's newly renovated bedroom with next to nothing on. She ran her hand over the material of her nightgown for the five hundredth time. The feel of the see-through material gliding against her skin making her sigh. She looked at herself in the mirror of the vanity and her eyes widened.

This was why she had not looked at herself other than when she had been smearing on the light touches of makeup that graced her delicate features. But her reaction was not as she had expected, in fact it was quite different from anything she could have thought. Hermione Granger-Snape looked sexy and not just glossy magazine type sexy but actual real life _sexy_.

Her hair feel in loss curls around her face, which she had taken time to pull back in a clip away from her eyes. Her lips were painted a deep red that made her skin look paler than it was and made the freckles on her nose stand out a little more. The black and green material hugged her curves and flared out around her hips before landing mid-thigh with a silk black trim. She raised her hand and with a wave a hundred candles that were placed around the room leapt to life and cast a glow on the room.

Shadows stretched out across the floor as if reaching for something and the fire was extinguished but the warmth of it still touched the room. All that was left to do now was wait.

Hermione stared at the door and then gazed back at the mirror before deciding that sitting on the edge of the bed was not going to give off the sexy image she wanted. So she moved into the middle of the bed but that didn't feel quite right either. She got up and sat in one of the two arm chairs in the room and threw her legs over one arm but changed her mind. She tried the sofa, the vanity and was even considering leaning against the doorframe when he came into the sitting room but before she could nature called and she went into the bathroom. She was on her way out when she heard the bedroom door open and saw Snape step inside.

He froze looking around as he shrugged out of his teaching robes, leaving him in a white button shirt, trousers and socks. He had taken his shoes off at the outer door.

"What's going on?" He asked his eyes landing on Hermione who was now standing frozen in her place just inside the bathroom. She looked around the room herself and then back at Snape. He was waiting on her to answer. It was now or never.

"Well, I figured that a smart wizard like yourself would have already figured that out." She said walking toward him making sure to sway her hips as she moved. He ran his eyes over her body and she felt the flush of arousal wash over her. He dropped his robes behind him and watched as she came closer.

Snape couldn't believe his eyes when he'd seen Hermione coming out of the bathroom. The see-through material hugging her like a second skin and the mass of brown hair that was usual untamed falling so softly around her shoulders from the clip that secured it making him swallow and remind himself to breathe. She walked around him and picked up the robes that he had dropped folding them over the back of one of the arm chairs that sat in front of the fire before turning back to him. Seeing he hadn't moved and that his expression remained the same as it had been a moment ago-confusion-she frowned.

"I'm not all together positive that I'm doing this right." She told him looking somewhat defeated. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. Hermione bent her head and stared at the floor.

"What are you talking about love?" He asked watching as she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. She started to fidget with the edge of her nightgown and swing her feet gently. He watched the movement of her legs and had to force himself to stop moving his head along with them. He focused his attention back on the beautiful young woman that was sitting barely dressed on his bed.

"I wanted to seduce you. I read a bunch of those romance novels and talked to some people that I know but it didn't work." She sighed and tilted her head finding sudden interest in a spot on the cold stone floor. "I guess I'm not as seductive as I thought." Snape looked at her and his eyebrows drew closer together. How could she not think she was seductive? She was the most seductive thing he'd ever seen in his life. She didn't have to put on a see-through nightgown and light a hundred candles. She was seductive even when she was at her worst.

"I don't know why you think you need to set up a seduction when all you have to do is look at me and I want you." She was on her feet faster than he had ever seen her move before and advancing on him even faster. The look on her face one that he could not recollect seeing before. It was a mix between anger and outrage.

"All I have to do is look at you, ah? How is that possible when I've been looking at you for two weeks and you've never made any attempt to touch me other than to kiss me in the morning before you leave for breakfast? How is that possible when for two weeks you have spent as much of your time away from me as humanly possible? You've stopped sitting with me in the evenings before bed, stopped waking me up when you leave for meetings, you've almost stopped talking to me. Are you trying to cut me out because of what happened with Malfoy?" Tears sprung to her eyes and she watched as he looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally just settling for looking at her. She went back to the bed and reached for her robe and then went to the dresser to get her clothes.

"I feel like I've done this a million times before Severus. Every time we have a fight I get mad a leave and stay gone for a day or two and then come back but this time it's different, this time we're fighting over something much more serious than anything else." She went to walk past him but he reached out and grabbed her arm. She stopped but didn't look at him. She refused to look at him while he explained this way.

"Is that what you really think?" She heard the anger in his voice and turned her head. What the hell was he angry for? She was the only one with the right to be angry. "Do you honestly think I would be so shallow to try and cut you out of my life just because some scumbag couldn't keep his hands off of you? Just because it wasn't the only time that he'd ever done it? Just because ever night that I go to sleep and close my eyes I keep seeing you chained to a bed crying and trying to scream for help but you can't? Just because every time I close my eyes I can still see the marks that the chains left on your wrists and ankles? Just because that _man_ was someone I once thought I could call a _friend_? If that's really what you think," he stepped back and waved his hands toward the door, "then go but don't expect me to take you back."

It was Hermione's turn to look dumbfounded and to be speechless. Snape stared down at her as she stood there, robe half open clothes hanging limply from her hand. The suddenly she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry." She said as she clung to him holding on tight and wrapping herself around him. He was shocked for a moment but slowly forced himself to relax and hold her to. "I should have known that it would have had an effect on you as well. I mean, I'm your wife and we both care for each other and…" Snape pulled back and shook his head.

"No Hermione I don't care for you," instantly she looked angry and tried to jerk away but he gave a laugh and looked down at her taking a breath to say the words that he had never said to her, or anyone else before. "I can't care about you Hermione when I'm madly in love with you." She stopped struggling and pulled back to look at him. Her eyes widened in shock and then tears trickled down and left little trails all the way down.

"You do?"

He nodded.

"I love you to," she whispered.

He nodded again and picked her up walking toward the bed but before he could set her down she pulled out of his arms and pushed him back against the bed. The backs of his knees hit the mattress and he tumbled down onto the softness. She smiled at him and reached forward to undo the buttons on the front of his white shirt.

"I've always loved you from the start." He told her as he looked at her while she tugged at the buttons. She stopped and leaned forward pressing a kiss to his lips. He kissed her back his hands coming up to tangle in her hair and pull her closer to her. Her hands never left the buttons of his shirt as she quickly whipped it off and threw it down to the floor. Snape reached for the tie of her robe but she shook her head and pulled back from him. He stared at her and she smiled. Taking a deep breath she reached for the knot herself.

He watched her as she pulled at the knot, her eyes never leaving his. She smiled but it was different than the others, more seductive and mischievous. He lowered his gaze to her body as she pushed the robe from her shoulders and shrugged out of it. Then she stepped forward and straddled his hips.

"I want to make love to you." She whispered in his ear as she bent her head to nibble on his lobe. He groaned and brought his hands up tracing the curve of her spine. She shivered and let her head drop back offering the perfect white skin of her neck to him. He latched on and suckled gently moving from the bottom of her ear down to her collarbone. Snape growled when her cold hands began to explore the planes of his back. The light exploration left gooseflesh behind and he pulled back because he had to get his breath. She took his breath away like no one else every had not even Suzy, ten years ago, the one woman he thought he'd loved. But it was different with Hermione, better.

Hermione wrapped her hands in Snape's long hair and pulled his head back looking down into his eyes. She saw the love, the trust she saw the truths shinning there. Pressing a kiss to his lips she stood and pulled him with her.

"Remove the rest of your clothes." It was a command that left no room for argument. He reached for the button on his trousers and swiftly had them down to his ankles. She watched him as he stepped out of them and bent to pick them up but she spoke and stopped him.

"Just leave them. I'll pick them up in the morning." Once again it was a command that he did not argue with. He reached for the waist of his boxers but stopped when he realized that he was the only one getting undressed.

"Aren't you a little overdressed for the occasion?" He asked as she watched him. There was mischief in her eyes and slowly a smirk spread across her face.

"We'll get to me later." She told him and gestured for him to continue to remove the last pieces of his clothes. He looked at her for a moment but pushed the boxers down and sat to remove his socks before standing back up and looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She tilted her head to the side and studied him almost thoughtfully. Then she tilted her head to the other side and studied him for a different angle. He shifted on his feet and finally she came toward him. He reached out for her but she batted his hands away.

"I've already told you that I'm going to make love to you." She looked him straight in the eye and pushed his hands behind his back holding them there with both of hers. He could have broken the hold if he'd wanted to but he didn't and simply smiled down at her. She smiled back, the smile giving her the appearance of a sexual goddess who had him at her will. She was a clever little witch and he was sure she had cast a spell over him to make him want to comply to her whims so quickly. But love made a man do some crazy things.

She pushed him back to sit on the edge of the bed and sank down into his lap again. She could feel his arousal pressing against her core as she brought her mouth down to his and kissed him wrapping her hands into his hair and hold him still. He groaned when she began to rub herself against him, her inhabitations had never gotten in the way but she'd never dominated over him in bed before either. It had always been the same every time, no matter who started it out, no matter where they were it was always him who ended up on top and in charge. He knew that it was because she thought he had to have all the control but he didn't; he could let her have the control.

She reached down and pulled his hand away from her waist and put them over her breasts hoping that he would take the hint. Thankfully Snape could take hints very well. He palmed her gently and she moaned softening the kiss. He didn't try to take over, he just let her lead. She pulled away and looked at him seeing that he was focused solely on her breasts she smiled. She'd always pegged him as a boob man.

"You like what you see." She asked shaking her breasts at him. It felt stupid but even as she laughed he smirked at her and nodded his head.

"Yeah I do." He bent forward and pressed a kiss to the twin pecks she lowered her head and nuzzled his crown. He raised his head and they shared a look and a smile. It had never been like this between them before. Sex for them had never been playful and slow. It had always been about the end result the release about showing the other person who cared more. But tonight it was about their shared love; tonight they would show they loved each other, equally.

"I love you." She said as she raised her hand to stroke his cheek. He nodded and reached up taking her hand in his. He pressed a kiss to her palm and laid back against the mattress pulling her over him. She grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips before rising up on her knees and preparing to sink down onto him. He reached up and held her hips. Their eyes locked and neither looked away as she slowly lowered herself down onto him. He watched as her breath caught and her eyelids dropped to half mast but their gazes never wavered. He felt the connection between them so much stronger than before and couldn't tear his eyes way from his beautiful wife.

Slowly Hermione started to rock back and forth riding him. He held her hips gently in his hands, guiding her strokes so that both of them got the pleasure. Her hands came up and wound into her own hair as she moved on him gradually increasing their pace as she moved and breaking their eye contact but they were joined together as one and for the first time he knew what it was to enjoy receiving pleasure as well as giving it.

"I love you…so much." She panted as she brought her hands down and anchored them on his chest and placing her forehead against his. Together they rocked going slow and then slowing down when they got close to make it last. The smells of sex filled the room and sweat formed a fine shin on their bodies as they moved together in the candlelight. Snape closed his eyes as he felt her muscles contracting around him and couldn't hold it back anymore. Together they let out twin yelled and devotions of love.

Slowly the world righted itself and Hermione and Snape floated back into reality. But their reality was different now; their reality had changed in the blind of an eye. No sooner had Snap began to recover from their love making and was settling into sleep when the familiar burn of the calling pulled him from their bed. She rose up and watched as he went to the closet to get his robes and she rolled over and pulled open his nightstand drawer for his mask. Then like they had done before Hermione had been attacked, before he'd stopped walking her up, she kissed him and help him put the mask on his face. But tonight before he walked out the door they exchanged more words than usual and before he left he kissed her again and told her he loved her. Then when the door shut, just like all the other nights, with a dull thud Hermione buried her head in the pillows and cried herself to sleep, wondering always wondering if tonight would be the last time she'd see her husband alive and well.

It had been almost two weeks since the Dark Lord had summoned Snape to him. But he knew better than to not answer the call. He was a spy after all. But lately the Dark Lord had not been intrusting him with as much information as before. And it was all because he had been forced to marry a mudblood a beautiful, intelligent, sexy as hell, and clever little mudblood. But he quickly whipped all thoughts of the beautiful woman he'd left laying back at Hogwarts in his bed out of his mind. He didn't want the Dark Lord to take one look inside his head and find out that he had fallen in love with Hermione. That love was a weapon, one that the Dark Lord could use against him.

Snape entered the Dark Lords _throne room_, as he called it, and bowed before his master. The Voldemort waved his hand for him and the others to stand. They did and the Dark Lord looked out over all of them. His eyes immediately landing on Snape, he snared and turned away.

_Great, _Snape thought as the Snake rose and walked down from his _throne_ and between the rows of men who stood before him. He started to speak, his voice one of authority and dripping with deadly venom.

"The time has come, my faithful followers, for us to rise up and take what is ours. It is time to rid the Wizarding world of those who are undeserving and to weak to live in our New World. You might as yourselves: What New World? That my friends, is a good question. The New World must be built and one that will last forever, one that for those of you who prove to be worthy of it will help me rule over it." He made his way through the men, as if to psych them up for the fight. But none really needed it; most had been waiting for this moment since the Dark Lord's return. "No longer will we have to live in fear of the Muggles but we will walk over them, _rule_ over them. My plan has changed in the years of my absence. No longer will we settle for ruling just the Wizarding world, no, we will take the Muggle World as well." Some of the men cheered, some turned and looked at each other concerned, while others (like Snape) simply looked on. Inside Snape felt the dread of what the Snake was saying. He was planning an attack somewhere, soon.

"Yes, my Death Eaters, we are going to take over everything, until there is not a place untouched by our hand, not a place that we have not conquered, and when we have done this we will settle down and rule over our lands as one." The Dark Lord now stood in front of Snape looking him in the eye and he knew that he was watching him, knew that he was waiting for a reaction but Snape wasn't stupid enough to give him a reason to strike out at him. "In a fortnight we will attack Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we will kill Albus Dumbledore and I will kill Harry Potter and his two best-friends." He had not moved from standing in front of Snape. His slanted eyes were trained on the man as he stared ahead trying to keep himself from lashing out and working to keep his mind blank. "However, if someone here would like to speak up for one of those friends, I would consider letting him or her have them." Snape's eyes quickly turned to meet the Dark Lord's and he tried to beat down the hope that sprung to life inside of him.

"Why would any of us speak for one of those good for nothing kids my Lord?" One of the other Death Eaters across the room asked. A smile, if you could call it that, graced the Dark Lord's face at the question and he turned walking back toward his throne.

"Because one of those among you is married to one of them." He said glancing over his shoulder as Snape who returned his eyes to the front of the room. His breathing became quick as he thought about what would happen to Hermione if the Dark Lord got his hands on her and not just to her but to Potter and Weasley as well. It would scar her for life if she somehow lived through it. She would never be the same.

"That will be all for tonight you may go home now we will work out the technicalities later but I do plan to attack. Oh, and Severus, I want a word with you." Snape nodded and watched as all of the other's disappeared with faint pops. Before he was ready for it he was alone with the Dark Lord. The man stood again and walked down toward where he stood and circled him slowly.

"You smell like her." He whispered as he came to stand behind Snape. He didn't turn his head or even try to look at the other man. He knew there was disgust on his face and that if he dared look at him he would be punished. "You must have just left her when I called you. It seems to be that way every time I've called you before as well." The Snake moved around to stand in front of him and tilted his head studying the man in front of him, a man that he had once respected more than most, a man that he had trusted with dark secrets.

"I am sharing a bed with her to keep up appearances my Lord, nothing more." Snape lied as he kept his eyes carefully focused on a tapestry that hung behind the Dark Lord's throne. The other man snickered and shook his head.

"Severus, Severus, Severus, don't lie to me. I know that you have feelings for that filthy little mudblood wife of yours and I know that you would do anything to keep her safe from me." He reached out and punched Snape quickly, before he even saw it coming. The Dark Lord watched with a smile as Snape stumbled backwards and brought his hand up to his lip. Blood trickled down and he could smell the sweet iron scent as he stepped closer to the man. He leveled his gaze with his. "But if you breathe so much as one single syllable about what I plan to do, I'm going to make her pay for it. After I win the fight for the Wizarding World, I'll give her to one of the others and I promise you that it won't be as good as it is with you for her." The words were amide low and hit their target. Fear, like he had never experience clinched Snape's gut and held it tightly. He turned his gaze up to the Dark Lord and this time didn't ever try to hide his feelings. That smile spread across the Dark Lord's face and he turned away from Snape.

"If we are clear on this, you can go." He said as he sank back down into his seat and watched the man who stood almost across the room. Snape nodded his head but didn't say a word as he turned to go. As he disappeared he could have sworn he heard the Dark Lord laugh. But there were more pressing issues than the revenge of the Dark Lord on himself. He was planning an attack on Hogwarts; he was going to kill Hermione and her friends and the one man that could keep them safe. He had to find a way to let everyone know what was going to happen without saying anything, for Hermione's safety.

_Hermione, she could…_ His thought trailed off and he wanted to hit himself for not thinking about it right from the start. It was time to see just how clever his little wife was.

**TBC **

_**I know it sucked but review anyways and tell me what you think. It has taken me a while to write it but it had to be written and now that it is I think that I can get on a little better with some plot ideas mentioned in the Author's Note up top. So tell me what you think and if you don't like the story sorry but its mine and it's been getting good reviews so far so I'm just going to keep doing what I do.**_


	8. Snape's Pensieve

_**Okay I have had to add some different stuff to the story because I got to thinking about it and the guide I had made for myself was a little shaky so I decided to stabilize it a bit. I hope that you like it and I have enjoyed the reviews. I would also like to make it clear that Snape is in love with Hermione and no matter how cold a person once was or still is love can make them do things that are out of character and do things that are completely irrational. That is my reasoning for the ending scene from last chapter just to clear that up for everyone who's scratching their heads about it. I've gotten my grove back because Kitty has decided to focus for once in her life. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for the reviews but we still have a ways to go so keep it up.**_

_**Chapter 8: Snape's Pensieve**_

Hermione felt someone shaking her and immediately sat up eyes wide and wand up ready to attack should the moment call for it. But when she spotted Snape she lowered her wand and blinked. His lip was swollen and bloody but she didn't have time to study him to long because he turned away and reached for her night robe hanging at the end of the bed.

"Here put this on." He said simply throwing it at her before he pulled his robes over his head and threw them to the ground along with his mask. Hermione stared at him as she got up pulling her night robe on and tying it tightly around her waist. Snape reached for his teaching robes and threw them on before turning back to Hermione.

"Care to tell me what's going on." She asked walking toward him as he pulled buttons through button holes. He was shaking so she reached over and did it for him. He gazed down at her as if for a moment he couldn't remember who she was then he shook his head and stepped back as she finished with the buttons.

"You are a very clever witch and I need your help." Hermione looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. Severus Snape didn't ask for help, not from the woman he loved, not from anyone especially an _underage_ witch.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as he turned around and started toward a door that in all her months of living in the dungeons with him she'd never noticed. But looking up she saw the tapestry that had once hung on that particular portion of the wall and shook her head. Of course she hadn't noticed it he'd covered it up and thought it unimportant to tell her.

She followed him inside, the room was no bigger than a broom closet and both of them barely fit inside without being scrunched together tightly. She looked over her shoulder as the door shut and locked itself behind them. Hermione felt a little bit of fear rise in her but pushed it down as she looked up at the man she loved standing beside her then she noticed the light.

Looking down she saw one of the biggest Pensieve's she'd ever seen before in her life. It took up much of the space in the room and put off just enough light that she could see most of what occupied the rest. A chair and stacks of papers lay around on the floor but she didn't have time to really look at them as she was dragged closer to the Pensieve. Snape took out his wand and muttered a few charms, most of which even Hermione couldn't recognize before he placed the tip of his wand to his temple as extracted and began to extract the memories one at a time.

She watched as they swirled around in the grayish pool of liquid that was already present in the bowl before sinking down to join the rest of them. As he pulled the memories out, she watched the clips that they showed before sinking. Most of them were of the two of them, the most recent of them making love before he'd left. The last one was of the Dark Lord hitting Snape hard across the face in an empty room. He stopped and pointed to the memory.

"That's the one." He said and took her hand in his but she pulled him back before he could lean of the bowl and get them sucked in.

"What's going on?" She said sternly and watched as he seemed torn between how much was safe to tell her and what she would have to find out on her own.

"The Dark Lord gave me information tonight and I can not speak of it to anyone but you can." He said looking back at the Pensieve and the memories that were floating to the top. She looked at them as well.

"You want me to retrieve information from your memories and then what? Tell it to Dumbledore. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is going to be? Not that I care about the danger to myself or anything but what about you. If Voldemort, (Snape flinched at the use of the Dark Lords name but she didn't really notice) finds out you sent me into your memories intentionally to extract the information then he'll kill us both." Snape thought about it but shook his head. There was no other way, she had to do it. Sure he could get Dumbledore or someone else to get it, maybe even send Potter in but his memories were private matters and he only trusted her with them.

"It's a chance we are going to have to take love. We have to be prepared for what he's planning. I can't not tell Dumbledore about this so I am trust you with it." He looked down at her. "I thought you wanted me to trust you with these kinds of things." She looked defeated for a moment and dunked her head.

"I do." She whispered and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just…I don't want to lose you so soon. I'm only just starting love you openly, I don't want to lose that." Snape looked down at her and sighed wrapping his arms around her and burying his head in her hair. The strands tickled his nose as he breathed in her scent, the scent of their love making still clung to her. They hugged each other for a full five minutes before Hermione pulled away, a look of determination upon her face.

"Okay, let's do this." She said reaching over to take his hand in hers. She watched as Snape sifted through the memories to find the one that he was looking for. He seen it float to the top and together they bent forward and Hermione held her breath as they were sucked down into the memory.

_She was transported into the large 'thrown' room of the Dark Lord and looked around at all the Death Eaters who were unmasked and standing before their Lord. She saw Snape Apparated into the room and took a spot near the back of the room._

'_Good idea.' She thought and quickly heard Snape replay._

'_Thank you.' She turned to look at him but he pressed his finger over his lips to shh her and then pointed toward the front of the room again._

_She watched the Dark Lord descending from his thrown saying something but nothing that sounded very important. She caught something about a New World and not only taking over the Wizarding World but the Muggle World as well. She looked at the Snape beside her as the Snake stopped in front of him._

'…_In a fortnight we will attack Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we will kill Albus Dumbledore and I will kill Harry Potter and his two best-friends.' She turned her attention back to him as he looked Snape over waiting for a reaction but not getting one. 'However, if someone here would like to speak up for one of those friends, I would consider letting him or her have them.' She felt fear clinch her afraid that someone would speak up but no one did. But a Death Eater she didn't know did speak up and comment._

'_Why would any of us speak for one of those good for nothing kids my Lord?' The Dark Lord smiled, if you wanted to call the sick twist of his lips a smile, and then turned and walked back toward his throne._

'_Because one of those among you is married to one of them.' He glanced over his shoulder at Snape who was now staring at the front of the room._

_The Dark Lord had started to say something else but Snape pulled her back._

Hermione found herself once again in the Pensieve room and staring at the man beside her.

"He's going to attack Hogwarts in a fortnight." Snape looked at her for a moment before responding.

"You heard it for yourself. Now you must go to Dumbledore and tell him, it has to be tonight. You have to warn him about the attack." Hermione nodded and turned on her heels starting for the door and stopping when she realized that Snape wasn't following her.

"Aren't you coming with me?" She asked looking at him as he stared down into the Pensieve. In the faint glow he looked older, as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. He shook his head but didn't look up at her.

"This is something you have to do by yourself Hermione. I can't be there or else the Dark Lord will know something is up. I can only protect you and myself so far and then he's just too strong for me to fight off." She watched him as he brought his wand back up to his temple and extracted yet another memory. "I'm not a weak man. I'm just trying to keep us both as safe as possible." She looked at him for a few minutes before turning and starting for the door again but what he said stopped her in her process yet again.

"I love you so much Hermione." She turned and looked at him again. This time he was watching her. His dark eyes shinning with the love he felt for her and she smiled softly at him and ran back over to him throwing her arms around him.

"I love you too." She pressed a kiss to his lips quickly before starting for the door again. But she once again stopped before she reached the bedroom door and turned to look at him. He was just visible inside the room. "You're not a weak man. You'll never be a weak man in my eyes, no matter what you do." With that she turned and started in a full out sprit toward Professor Dumbledore's office with the information that she had.

_**TBC **_

_**Okay, either chapter and I'm still loving writing on this story. It's taking me a little longer to update because I'm trying to write on some of my other stories as well. I only have about a month before I start college and I'm not going to have much time after that but I will continue to update as quickly and regularly as possible. So the age old question now becomes: Do you want more or what? Let me know by reviewing.**_


	9. The Dark Lords Plan

_**Dearest Readers,**_

_**OMG, I can't believe that I have gotten 100 reviews for this story. I wasn't even paying attention to the number of reviews until Miss Jessica Riddle (hope that's right) pointed it out to me in her awesome review. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and I hope that you will continue to review as I continue on with this story. I am sorry to inform you that there will probably not be too many more chapters but there will be a few more and I hope that you will understand that all good things must come to an end. This is one of them. Well here is another chapter and I can't wait to see what kind of reviews I get for it. I'm going for 150 reviews before this is over so just keep them coming and let me know what you feel. And of course, may all your dreams come true.**_

_**Sincerely yours with love and affection,**_

_**KC Clark**_

_**Chapter 9: The Dark Lord's Plan**_

Dumbledore stared at the young woman who sat in front of him and then looked over at the older woman who sat beside her. He brought his hands up and pressed the tips of his fingers together before bringing them apart and putting them together again. It was a nervous habit, one he was trying to break but old habits die hard, and he was nervous. Though if you looked at his face you would never know it but after the information he had just received he felt a ball of dread forming in his stomach.

"It's beginning." He said slowly and watched as Minerva nodded but Hermione looked only slightly confused.

"What's beginning sir?" She asked and watched as he rose and went to one of the long, thin windows that stared out over the grounds. None of them had noticed it but the first snow of the year had fallen while Hermione was recounting the events from Snape's memory to Dumbledore and McGonagall, whom Hermione had found in his rooms after hours for a second time. He sighed and turned back to her giving her a soft smile before walking over and sitting on the edge of his desk.

"The war with Voldemort." Minerva flinched at the use of _that_ name but never said anything. Hermione stared at him and nodded.

"The beginning of the end." She said but Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not if we can stop it." He said and walked over to where she sat and crouched down in front of her taking her hands in his. "I hope you realize that the information that you have just told me puts you in great danger. I know that Severus meant the best and wants you to trust him and to show you he trusts you but he has put you both in very real danger. Danger that I'm afraid I might not be able to protect you from. Voldemort wants both Harry and I dead and if he is successful then you are both on your own. Severus is a powerful man but he is weak where you are concerned and if Voldemort knows this he'll use it against him." Hermione hung her head and felt tears come pouring down her cheeks. She gave a sob but sniffed and whipped at her face. McGonagall got up and plucked a tissue off of Dumbledore's desk and brought it to her putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Albus, please." She gave him a soft look and he nodded turning away from the two of them and walking toward the door to his private rooms leaving her alone with the girl. He knew that sometimes it just helped to talk to someone you could relate to, someone who understood your situation.

"Hermione, he didn't mean to sound as hard as he did. Albus has a lot to deal with considering what you just told him. He can't let the Dark Lord into Hogwarts. If he kills Albus and Harry then we are left defenseless and without a prayer. I'm strong enough to admit that and most of the teachers here will back me up on it as well. But Severus…well, he has always thought he was an island apart from all others and that has always been his greatest weakness." Hermione nodded that she understood what she was saying.

"He said that he was weak before I left to come up here. But I told him I didn't think he was and that no matter what I would never think he was weak. Now that I think about it though, Dumbledore is right. I'm a liability to Severus, with me around he is weaker because he loves me and would do anything to keep me alive." She looked over at one of the walls that was covered with the portraits of sleeping ex-Headmasters and mistresses. She smiled as one of them snored loudly and then feel from his chair. In the light of currant events she knew what she had to do if she wanted to keep the man she loved alive and the others who loved her.

"I'm going to have to leave." She said as she looked back at McGonagall who looked shocked at the comment. "Without me around he wouldn't be weak and he will fight with Dumbledore and not have to worry about me and if I'm safe. I can get out of England and go to the States to see my parents. They're staying with some of their friends for a little while as a vacation. They wanted me to come before the wedding and told me I could come if I got the chance." The older woman watched as the younger one continued to ramble off her plan. When she was finished she looked up at McGonagall with hope in her eyes.

"Do you honestly think that if you leave Severus will become a strong man?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to say something but McGonagall cut her off. "Did he tell you about what happened last time a woman left him and the Death Eaters and such were still about? Did you not see the scar from where they tried to kill him? Have you not seen the way he looks at you as if you are the only thing in his world that matters?" Hermione watched as tears actually filled the older woman's eyes and a couple slipped down her cheeks and hit the collar of her night robe. "Do you not see how much he loves you? If you leave Hermione it would not serve to make him stronger. The only purpose it would serve would be to kill him faster than any spell could." Hermione watched as McGonagall rose and went to sit in the chair behind Dumbledore's desk. The two women watched each other for a moment before both looked away in opposite directions. Hermione watched as the snow still feel softly outside and lit the night as the light from the moon was reflected off of it.

"If I can't leave because it will make him weak and I can't stay because it will make him weak, what other option is there?" McGonagall looked back at Hermione. The younger woman looked so helpless and so lost. She'd never seen this particular student look so dim and lifeless as she did in that moment. But as always she had an answer to the question, it might not have been the answer she was looking for but it was an answer.

"You stay and fight along side him. The same as I'll do with Albus." Hermione looked at McGonagall for a few moments before she nodded. "If you stay and fight beside him he will be there to protect you and you him. There will be no guess work, is he okay or is she okay, instead you'll know and the instant that You-Know-Who is dead then you will be together to celebrate or when he wins you will die together. I'm thinking however that I like the first option better." Hermione nodded and gave a small smile and began to wonder how she could have ever thought that leaving was the answer.

"Thank you Professor." She said standing and getting ready to return to her husband who was no doubt pacing the floor waiting on her right now. McGonagall got up and walked with her to the door.

"Goodbye Hermione and lets drop the formalities shall we? I'm Minerva when we are speaking in private just like you are Hermione." The young woman smiled and nodded her head as she stepped out of the door of the Headmasters office. "I have so much respect for you Hermione. You know there was a man inside the ice and you found him." Hermione smiled as she stepped out onto the spiral stairs as they began to descend back down to the corridor outside of Dumbledore's office.

"I'm glad that Dumbledore found the woman inside the ice." She called up just before she stepped out and disappeared. Minerva McGonagall gave a laugh and closed the door softly behind her before she let the tears come rolling down her cheeks. She gave a soft sob but no sooner had it left her than Dumbledore appeared in the doorway to his private rooms and came toward her.

"Minerva, love, what's wrong?" He said taking her arms and rubbing up and down them. She looked up into the eyes of the man she loved so much and smiled through her tears.

"I'm not going away." She said softly and reached up cradling the aging face of her lover in her hands. "I'm going to fight beside you, like a wife would her husband because though we are not married Albus in our hearts we are connected. I will not leave you here to fight this war alone, I wouldn't go away and spend everyday wondering if you are okay. Hermione isn't going to leave either. She thought about it though and when I tried to explain to her all the reasons she shouldn't they were very similar to the reasons I shouldn't leave you." She watched as Dumbledore stared down at her she saw the emotions swirling around in his eyes and knew that he was going to object. "If you send me away I'll never come back." She said flatly and moved away from him to stand in front of one of the windows. He looked after her watching as she cried quietly and watched the snow peacefully falling outside.

"Minerva, I can't let you stay and loss you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you and Severus is going to say the same thing to Hermione when he realizes what must be done." He told her starting toward her but she wheeled around, this time there was no soft expression on her face, this she was anger.

"You when you _tell_ him what has to be done. Do you honestly think its going to help either of you to send us away? Oh, please Albus, I've stood beside you on many things but this is not one of them. I mean what I said, if you send me away, I won't come back." She started toward the door but Dumbledore reached out and stopped her sighing as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her loss hair.

"Fine, stay if you want but if I loss you when I see you again I will say I told you so." McGonagall looked over her shoulder and smiled watching the blue eyes of her lover dance with emotion.

"And when the Dark Lord is gone then I'm going to say I told you so." With that she pressed a kiss to Dumbledore's lips and they went back to bed. Completely unaware of the master minded plan that the Dark Lord had set in place. The plan that would end it all before it had even begun.

_**TBC????**_

_**Short chapter I know and full of lovey dovey stuff but this was just kind of to show you how the relationship between Hermione and McGonagall and Dumbledore has changed and how they are all becoming different people because of love. Hope you liked let me know what you think.**_


	10. A Dark Deed Indeed

_**Dear Readers,**_

_**I'd like to think you all again for your reviews and another big thanks to Miss Jessica Riddle, who has given me yet another great review. I love ya, all of ya. I would also like to tell you that I have started on a Hannah Montana/Harry Potter crossover and that if you think it might be your thing then check it out. I get the idea for it when I started reading another called 'Hannah Heads to Hogwarts,' it's a really funny story and mines not its actually kind of just going through the process of the group finding out they are witches and wizards. I hope that you'll check it out its call 'Miley, Lilly, Oliver and Jackson Are What?' and it can be found in the Hannah Montana section under the category of Romance rated M. Once again thinks for the review and I hope that you will continue to make me a very happy girl with your reviews.**_

_**X's & O's,**_

_**KC**_

_**Chapter 10: A Dark Deed Indeed**_

As Hermione made her way back down to her and Severus' shared rooms she couldn't help but get the feeling she was being followed. At every corner she'd turn and look over her shoulder but she never saw anyone or anything. As she was walking down the grand staircase and passing the great oak front doors she felt something reach out and grab her from behind.

Hermione thrashed and tried to scream but something immediately clasped over her mouth and she felt as if her body was being encircled by invisible rope. She could feel it as it chafed her skin and almost tore her skin. She winched in pain when the ropes went around her ribs to tie her arms to her sides and squeezed her hard. Suddenly, without any kind of warning at all, everything went black. The last thing she remembered was hearing muttering coming from the direction of the front doors.

_**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**_

Snape was pacing his rooms and wondering where Hermione had gotten off to when there was a knock on the door to his private rooms. He glanced up at the clock Hermione had placed on the wall in the sitting room and frowned. It was way past time for any of the students to be up and about and Hermione would not have knock and there was no real reason for Dumbledore to come down here. He knew that they couldn't discuss what Hermione had told him. The knock came again this time louder.

He walked toward the door and had his hand on the knob when it flew open. He felt his feet lift off the floor and was thrown back against the far wall. He groaned and winched as he tried to stand up. But immediately two hands pushed him back and a voice, obviously male, told him to lay still.

"Where's Hermione?" Another voice, different from the first asked and Snape could feel the hands lift off of his shoulders. He opened his eyes and saw none other than Harry Potter and Ron Weasley standing in his private rooms. Instantly Snape was furious but then he remembered that they were Hermione's friends and that she might have invited them to be here. But why in the hell had they blasted open his door.

"What is the meaning of this?" He snarled struggling to stand up. Potter stepped back and nudged Weasley in the shoulder. The red haired boy looked extremely pale and his eyes that were usually bright with life were dim. Potter looked even worst than the other. It looked as if he had just seen something that sickened him greatly and his emerald green eyes were darker. Both boys looked as if they were about to burst into tears.

"We found this in the entrance hall?" The Weasley boy held something out. It was small enough to lie in the palm of his hand. Stepping forward Snape looked at it and immediately felt as if he himself were going to be sick. Inside the pale skinned hand of the boy lay his wife's wedding ring. He stared at it for a few moments before staggering backwards and into the wall which he lend against and slid down the floor.

"When did you find it?" He asked his hands shaking as he raised them to run them over his face. He wished like hell this was all a bad dream. He wished that he could just wake up and find Hermione sleeping safely beside him with her arm over her eyes as she snored lightly in her sleep. But he knew that this was real, he felt it in his heart. Hermione was gone and she'd left her wedding ring.

"Just now." Weasley said and this time he nudged Potter as well.

"This was under it." He held out a piece of parchment with some words on it. Snape took it and unfolded the paper. He read the words then re-read them to make sure he'd read them right the first time.

_We have her_, was all it said. There was no signature or identifying mark. Just three simple words on a plain piece of paper but where they had come from couldn't have been clearer.

"The Dark Lord." He whispered to himself and jumped up off the floor and turned to stalk out the door. Weasley and Potter following closely behind him. He turned up the grand staircase and made his way toward Dumbledore's office. It hadn't been long since he had sent Hermione up to the Headmaster so he wasn't asleep. He reached the gargoyle and said the password. Hoping onto the movie staircase he turned to find Weasley and Potter still following. Weasley still held Hermione's wedding ring in his hand.

"I'd like my wife's wedding ring back." Snape reached out a hand and the boy put it in his palm without saying anything. The two boys knew how Hermione felt about her husband. Even if it slightly broke their hearts to hear it. Neither of them had wanted Hermione to marry Snape. They'd wanted her to wait for someone else to offer but as the deadline for marriage drew near and Snape didn't receive any offers and Dumbledore had already asked her to make this sacrifice for the Order so she had stepped up and done what she thought was her duty. Neither of them had ever expected anything to come from the marriage, especially not for Snape to fall in love with Hermione or for her to fall in love with him. At first they both thought it had been a mistake between great sex and love but over time they'd noticed that it had became so much more than that for her and for Snape. Now the best they could do was hope that everything worked out.

When the stairs stopped outside of Dumbledore's doors they all stepped off and waited as Snape knocked. The boys prepared themselves to face Dumbledore and explain to him why they were out at such a late hour when Professor McGonagall came to the door.

"Severus, what's the…" She trailed off when she noticed Harry and Ron. The two boys stared up at her as Dumbledore came to stand behind her with his hands on her shoulder.

"It would appear we have more late night visitors." Dumbledore said noticing Harry and Ron but he didn't give his usual smile. In fact he looked like he had quite a bit on his mind.

"I'm sorry to disturb you again tonight but it would seem Hermione has been taken by the Dark Lord." Snape held out the note and watched as McGonagall read it before handing it to Dumbledore. She ushered them inside and into chairs before taking the seat behind the Headmasters desk which Dumbledore let her keep. He sat down on the corner of his desk closest to Snape who was twirling Hermione's wedding ring around and around on his finger.

"Are you sure it's Voldemort?" Ron and McGonagall both winched at the name while Harry and Snape seemed utterly unfazed by it. The two were not afraid of the name as the others were. Thought Harry thought he saw Snape's jaw tense for a moment after the older man had spoken the name. He simply nodded but didn't elaborate or say anything to anyone in the room. Harry looked at him and could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to work through what was going on. He knew something and Harry wanted to know what it was.

Dumbledore sat the letter down on his desk and sighed as he reached up and took his glasses off. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment before returning his glasses to their former position and looking at the two boys.

"And how are you two involved?" He asked looking from Harry to Ron and back again. Ron opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out so it was left up to Harry to tell the tale.

"We were sneaking down to see Hermione. We hadn't heard from her in a few days and she won't talk to us in class because she's had to miss so much and been so focused on catching up. We just wanted to see how things were going with her and to tell her…" He trailed off and looked at Ron who looked back at him and shook his head.

_Don't tell them_. His gaze pleaded but Harry knew that he'd already let the cat out of the bag and would have to tell them anyway.

"What is it Harry? What did you want to tell her?" McGonagall pressed as she looked over at them from behind the desk. Harry looked up and caught her gaze, silently wondering what the hell she was doing in Dumbledore's private rooms so late at night but that was for another time he guessed. He sighed and threw an apologetic look at Ron.

"Well, we were going to tell her that we had…that we knew that Voldemort was hatching another one of his plans like he'd done in our fifth year. I started having the dreams again and we thought that if we told Hermione she could tell Professor Snape and he might help us with finding out what it was before we came to you." McGonagall gave a gasp and covered her mouth as she looked over at Dumbledore who was starting to look more worried by the minute. Snape rose and wheeled around standing in front of them, nostrils flared and eyes wild.

"You knew something was going to happen and you didn't get to her sooner." He watched as Harry nodded and squared his shoulders preparing himself to take whatever Snape dished out. But Snape did not ever so much as raise his voice. He immediately wheeled back around and stalked toward the door but as he pulled on the handle her found that it was locked.

"You're not going anywhere Severus." Minerva told him as she lowered her wand and looked on at the man who was standing in front of the door. His eyes were wild and he looked as if he might at any moment start flinging hexes and curses at the others in the room. He started toward Minerva but quickly turned and headed for one of the long windows in Dumbledore's office. He looked out it at the rising sun and felt as if he might attempt to fling himself out it any moment. Snape brought his hand up and rubbed his face. He felt so helpless and hopeless and no one seemed to be doing anything.

He turned and looked at Dumbledore who was sitting behind his desk now with Minerva standing behind him. Ron and Harry both sat slouched in the two chairs in front of her headmaster's desk. He looked at the two boys and felt like killing them both. Maybe if they had gotten to the dungeons sooner Hermione wouldn't have been taken? Maybe if…

_Maybe if you would have went with her she'd still be here you dunderhead._ Argued that annoying part of his brain that was most of the time right. He brought a hand up and ran it through his hair. He knew he couldn't have gone with her. He had to stay away from this office while she was telling Dumbledore about the Dark Lord's plan. But that didn't mean he was guiltless. Just like all those years ago, if he'd played it smart and not let his heart get involved in matters that it had no right in to begin with he would not be finding himself in his current predicament.

Even as Snape thought this he knew it was a lie. There was no way he could have stayed with Hermione this long and not have fallen in love with her. Sometimes he would look at her or catch a glimpse of her in the hallway talking to one or a group of her peers and realize just how much younger and innocent she was that him. He would get himself worked up about their differences in age and in personality. Then when she'd come in from a long day of classes and ask him how his day had gone because hers had been hell, he couldn't find it in himself to care. She was on a maturity level that most young people her age would probably never experience.

Turning now away from the other four occupants of the room whom were now discussing the dream that Harry had had and why he hadn't came to Dumbledore first thing it occurred to him. Hermione had been taken in the entrance hall of Hogwarts. She had been inside the castle walls, which meant that the Dark Lord had someone on the inside.

"Headmaster, it has only just occurred to me, and I'm quite sure we have all over looked this slight detail, but Hermione's wedding ring was found in the entrance hall _inside_ of Hogwarts, which only leaves me with one conclusion. Someone let the kidnappers into the castle and it was a crime of opportunity or the Dark Lord is not as ignorant of my loyalties as I would like him to be." Dumbledore had been in the middle of a sentence when Snape spoke and abruptly stopped.

"I can't believe this." He said barely audible and stood up almost knocking Minerva over in the process as she had lend closer to hear what he'd said. The room watched as he stepped down and began to pace back and forth between one bookcase clad wall to the other. The Phoenix who was sitting dutifully on its perch asleep raised its head and looked at Dumbledore for a moment before moving its head as if to shake it before he noticed Harry was in the room and spread his great graceful wings and flew over to perch on the arm of Harry's chair. Harry raised his hand and petted on Fawkes while he and the other people in the room watched Dumbledore pace, occasionally muttering incoherently to himself.

It did seem like quite a stretch that it was crime of opportunity. The Dark Lord had suspected Snape of being disloyal to him since his marriage to Hermione no matter what he'd done to try and convince the man otherwise. Harry felt a small amount of guilt that he had not gone to the headmaster with the dream. He had just wanted to do his part in the war and to find a way to get information on his own. Harry didn't like having to run everything past the adults. They rarely took him seriously anymore, what with all the fake images and things that he'd been getting from Voldemort lately. Until a few nights ago when he'd been asleep and he'd dreamed of the death of a young woman who's body was found only days later. It was just as he'd seen it.

But still he had thought it was only a fluke and hadn't said anything to anyone except for Ron. Then the dreams had started to come every night and were all true images of what was happening. Tonight when he'd been transported to that weird place he often found himself in he had seen and heard the Death Eaters, been inside the man who was telling them what to do. But most of it had been a blur and before he'd known what was happening he'd woken up and immediately went to wake Ron. He'd felt dread as they'd made their way down to the dungeon rooms under Harry's invisibility cloak. He had almost stepped on the small golden wedding band that had been laid on the floor, obviously to hold the note in place. If it hadn't been for Ron he would have trodden right over top of it.

"Surely no one inside this castle would let Death Eaters in." Ron said as he looked back and forth between the three adults in the room. Ron hated being brought to the headmaster's office and he hated it more that McGonagall and Snape were here in the locked room with them. Ron was terribly afraid of all authority figures. Harry had often teased him that as they'd brought Hermione out of her state of expulsion being worst than death that Ron had slipped into it. Even though Ron feared death more than expulsion he still had a very great fear of the professors and others whom had the power to punish him for his wrongs. But Harry had assured him that even he sometimes feared these people.

"Well, it would only be a matter of finding a poor unsuspecting victim and placing them under Imperius Curse and waiting for the right moment." Snape stopped and took a deep breath before he continued on. "I believe that this was the Dark Lord's plan all along. I'm beginning to believe that he gave us false information at the meeting tonight to test my loyalties. He knew that if I was one of his followers I would say nothing as he most certainly would have known about it. But if I was unfaithful I'd find a way around it such as sending Hermione into my memories to extract the information." He watched as all eyes turned and focused on him. Even though he was used to having people attention focused on him, he was a teacher, this time it made him nerves. Dumbledore had even stopped in his pacing to listen. "I should have known better than to think he would speak of such an important plan around me. He has suspected for some time that I am not as faithful as I once was. I believe he has take Hermione to draw us out into the open and to make us move first so that he can strike. He wants us to be vulnerable and unprepared for him. I believe that he has hatched a plan that is most sinister." At the end of his monologue Dumbledore began to nod and turned on his heels to start pacing again.

"I think you might be right." As he paced he stroked his beard, his concentration almost completely on the problem at hand. Harry could almost see the gears in his head working. "And if that's the case it was a very well laid plan. But as they say even the best laid plans have their flaws." He stopped pacing and moved back toward his desk where he shooed Minerva out of his chair and sat down. She quickly pulled out her wand and conjured two more chairs on either side of Dumbledore's desk but Snape did not sit down. Instead he moved to stand just to the right of Harry who had ceased in stroking Fawkes and was looking from McGonagall to Dumbledore with a questioning expression on his face.

"There is no time to dive into personal matters between myself and Minerva Harry." Dumbledore said without even looking at him as he sat staring at Snape who was shifting his weight from foot to foot under the intensity of the headmaster's gaze. "Do you think he will try and make contact with you?" No sooner had the words left Dumbledore's mouth than Snape felt the Dark Mark on his arm start to burn and move. He reached over and pulled back the left arm of his robes to show the others.

"Does that answer your question headmaster?" Dumbledore shot Snape a look that neither Harry nor Ron had ever seen on the man's face. He looked almost hateful and ready to say something completely unpleasant. But that was not Dumbledore's way.

"I think we should go with you." Snape opened his mouth to protest but he held up his hand and continued on. "I will send word to the Order to meet us outside of the gates in five minutes, which I'm sure is enough time for you to get your things and then we will all Apparate to the destination with you. Though I'm not too fond of side-long Appareation that is what we are going to have to do I'm afraid." 

"And what if he calls me into the room in which he is?" Snape shot back this time sounding more hateful than really necessary with Dumbledore. The other three in the room sat forgotten and glad for it. None of them wanted to be drug into the middle of this. Dumbledore looked at Snape over the top of his half-moon spectacles and raised an eyebrow. Never before had he heard the man in front of him take this tone with anyone except for his father when he'd appeared at Hogwarts back when he'd been a student. But Dumbledore ignored this and answered him.

"We have to go in ready to fight and ready for anything." Snape threw his hands up in the air and winched in pain as the Dark Mark gave another stir and sent hot sharp pain up his arm and into his chest.

"I don't suppose there's any talking you out of this." He asked and watched as the older man nodded his head. Snape ran a hand over his face before tangling it in his hair and giving a quick little yank that took several hairs with it. He gritted his teeth and blew out a breath.

"Fine, but if everyone is not there in five minutes I leave without them." He said and with that turned to the door. He stepped onto the staircase as it began to come down and felt the presence of the others behind him. As he stepped out into the deserted corridor he noticed the first lights of day seeping through the window. It was odd that the Dark Lord would call them in the daylight. Which meant that he was not ignorant of Snape's lies and deceit. He felt the twist in his gut as he stepped through the place where his door had once stood. He went straight for his robes and pulled them on quickly.

As he reached for his mask he looked at the bed, which was still unmade, and felt tears sting his eyes. If she were here she'd be sitting there on the verge of tears waiting on him to come to her so she could put his mask on and tell him goodbye. Every time he left the very real feeling that it could be the last time broke both their hearts. And now it was his heart that was breaking as she wasn't even there to try and pick up the pieces and it was entirely his fault. If he was more of a man and less a coward they would not be in this situation.

As he pulled on the mask he started for the door and noticed something gold lying on the floor beside the coffee table that held Hermione's books. It appeared old and dusty but as Snape got closer to it the object started to look vaguely familiar. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. It was light but still some weight to it and it was circular. He looked down at the book that lay open on the table above it and saw an illustration of the thing inside. The only difference between the one in his hands and the one in the book was the writing. They were in ruins but both said two different things. The illustration said: _The blood will set us free_, while the one in his hand said:_ Necessary love will destroy unnecessary evil._

Looking back and forth between them he tried to make sense of the crazy sayings. Above the illustration was a heading. It read: _Teddy Fleming's Circle of Power._ Then it hit him. This was the circle pendant to a necklace that Hermione had found among some old things at Grimmauld Place a few years ago before they'd been married. She'd been up in the attic with him and Lupin looking for something when she'd found it and recognized it immediately.

'…_According to what I've read this pendent, when engraved properly, has more magical power than anyone has ever seen. It's kind of like the ultimate weapon against evil. But it's very tricky and very hard to do. If one thing is off about the spell, it's disastrous…'_ Snape was sure she's said more but he hadn't been listening. He knew however that in her spear time, what little she'd had, Hermione had been working on the spell and enchantments for the Circle of Power. He looked at the golden pendant in his hand before closing his fist around it.

"Hermione, my love, it's time to see just how great of a witch you are." He pockets the pendant and raced off out the hole in the wall and toward the oak front door. He had just pushed them open and stepped out when a flash of green light whizzed by his head and missed him by merely inches. He wheeled around fast and looked out.

All over the grounds Death Eaters were battling with Order Members and some of the students from Hogwarts. Many of the students Snape recognized as Gryffindor's and other's who had been suspected of forming a group in their fifth year called the D.A. or Dumbledore's Army. He watched as Neville Longbottom faced off with Bellatrix Lestrange whose hood had fallen back to reveal her face. The boy delivered a prefect Stunning Spell just before he had to dunk to avoid being hit with a misaimed Killing Curse. He rose up and looked down at the woman who had tortured his parents into madness and muttered words that Snape could not hear. Only seconds later the same green light that Snape and Neville had both just avoided shot from the tip of his wand and hit Bellatrix right in the chest. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened just before it hit but no sound ever emitted from her mouth that Snape heard and she failed to move afterward. Neville stood over her dead body breathing heavily until he saw Luna Lovegood fighting with another Death Eater and took off to help her.

Curses and spells flew through the air at an alarming rate. Snape watched as one Death Eater, whom he knew to be Lucius Malfoy, aimed a curse at Harry Potter. Snape quickly drew his own wand and without uttering a word sent a Freezing Spell at him. Lucius froze in place, his eyes on Harry, his mouth opened, and his wand high in the air.

Harry looked up and noticed Snape coming toward him pulling off his mask as he walked. He watched as the Potions Master through the mask down on the grown and set it on fire with a flick of his wand. Harry felt for the first time that he liked Snape as a person.

"Potter!" He yelled as he neared where Harry was standing in front of Lucius. Harry pivoted just in time to dodge a stream of bright blue light that had been aimed somewhere else but knocked out of its path. He threw a Stunning Spell in the same general direction and watched as it hit one of the clocked figures and they feel to the ground.

"Potter!" Snape yelled again and motioned him to walk toward him. Harry met him halfway both flinging spells, hexes, curses and anything else they could think of over their shoulder and over the shoulders of the other person. Snape reached inside his Death Eater robes and pulled out the golden pendant that he'd found in the sitting room and passed it to Harry. "I think this is the answer to our problem." He watched as Harry stared down at the ruin markings on the front. "They translate as _Necessary love will destroy unnecessary evil._ The pendant is called a Teddy Fleming's Circle of Power. Its ancient magic that is very powerful. I've read some about them and Hermione has been working on getting the enchantment right. I don't know if she succeeded or not so this is a stretch but anything's worth a shot at this point, don't you agree?" He saw Harry nod. "Good. Now listen to me very carefully," he thought back to the text that he himself had read about it only a few weeks ago. That's where he'd noticed it from really. He'd merely glanced at it in Grimmauld Place but Hermione had left her book open and he'd been curious about what she was reading. "The pendant has hopefully, been charmed to recognized great evil. What you must do is get close enough that you can put the pendant directly over the Dark Lord's heart. It has to make contact with his skin. The pendants magic will activate and the pendant will disappear inside him and destroy his soul, no matter what he's done to it. Even if he has split it into pieces as some believe him to have. It will destroy it and raid us of the Dark Lord forever." Snape reached out and gripped Harry's shoulder pulling him down as another flash of light, this one neither was quite sure of, flew toward them. Both flanged different curses in the general direction but neither watched to see what or if they hit anything or anyone. But his hand stayed on the boys shoulder as they rose back up. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Be careful and don't get yourself killed." With that he turned and aimed another spell at a Death Eater who was moving toward him and Harry.

_**TBC **_

_**I know another cliffhanger, ya'll must hate me so much. I hope you've little introduction to the end. There will be more soon. I'm so sorry that its taken so long but I had a wedding to attend a few days ago and am only just getting back and I've been reading on the 7**__**th**__** HP book which is by far the best one. I know what happens at the end thanks to one of my big mouthed friends but the stuff that leads up to it is just great and JK has written it so well. Let me know what you think and if you can check out my HP and HM crossover: 'Miley, Lilly, Oliver and Jackson Are What?' Thanks for the support. I have 115 reviews right now so lets get me some more please. **_


	11. Light Over Dark

_**Thanks for all the great reviews. Here is the beginning of the end for this fanfic. Only like one or two more chapters and probably an epilogue. I hope that you guys enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 11: Light over Dark**_

Snape threw curse after curse at the Death Eaters as they came in numbers like he'd never seen before. All of them walking through the open front gates of the school. He looked to his left to see Minerva and Albus standing back to back with their wands raised and both throwing spells, hexes, jinxes and curses at the Death Eaters as fast as their wands would allow them. Suddenly there was a loud boom and a whole section of the ancient stone school exploded. Snape watched as people fled while others immediately drew out their wands to fight.

Not even a second after the wall of the school seemed to explode darkness as black as night came over the scene. The torches that were seat around the schools gates burst to life and illuminated the ghastly scene as several flashes of green light were thrown from Death Eaters and Snape watched in horror as several students were hit and feel to the ground dead. Rage like Snape had never felt before in his life raised in him when he noticed that one of the Death Eaters who had thrown the Killing Curse at an unsuspecting child was Lucius. He turned and roared with rage the Killing Curse and watched as Lucius feel to the ground, dead. From his right he heard a shriek and turned to see a tall dark figure that seemed to be floating above the mess. Behind the figure was another, this one was struggling against invisible bonds. It only took a moment for Snape to notice that it was Hermione and the tall thin figure in front of her was Lord Voldemort himself.

The Dark Lord landed only a few feet from Snape and he turned to look back at Hermione who was crying and trying to scream but the words wouldn't come out. The Snake took out his wand and stroked her chin with it.

"Such carnage. I agree it is a petty Miss Granger but I assure you little Mudblood that I have bigger plans for you and your beloved husband." He turned and several of the Death Eaters went to his side. Snape noticed that he was wearing his Death Eater robes and immediately flicked his wand to divest himself of them. He didn't care that the Dark Lord would see this as a sign of disrespect. He could have no respect for a man such as the Dark Lord.

The scene seemed to quite as the Dark Lord stood before everyone. There was no movement it seemed other than a few people moving to stand behind McGonagall and Dumbledore. Snape seemed to be standing in the middle between the two groups. The students and teachers from Hogwarts watched him as did the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord and Hermione who upon seeing him alive and well stopped crying and struggling. The snake like man's eyes landed on Snape who was looking back a forth between the two groups.

"Hard decision isn't it Severus." The cold cruel voice of the Dark Lord wafted to him over the few feet that separated them. "To choose between the one you love and the ones who can save her. No I take that back no one can save her. It's a hard decision nevertheless. Oh, choices, choices, and the many choices you have. Fight with the ones who are destined to die or the ones that are destined to live." The Dark Lord advanced on Severus, Hermione following behind as if tied to him. "I must say you have found yourself in quite the predicament haven't you." Voldemort was right in front of Snape now his snake like eyes boring down into his dark ones. "So what will it be Severus. Live or die." This seemed to amuse several of the Death Eaters who snickered but fell silent as the Dark Lord looked over his shoulder.

Snape felt the rage build inside him. More rage than he'd felt when he killed Lucius and he spat at the Dark Lord's feet which hovered about three feet above the ground.

"I will not stand and fight with a man who is going to kill me anyway. I'd be stupid to believe anything you say." He backed away from where the Dark Lord floated and into the line beside Albus and Harry Potter. The Dark Lord threw his head back and laughed rather evilly before raising his wand and flicking it. The Death Eaters started to attack instantly and the Hogwarts group soon started flinging spells at them as well. The Dark Lord instantly tried to separate Harry from the rest of the group but Snape quickly pulled the boy out of the line of fire and behind a large chunk of the wall that had fallen from the school.

"I'm going to help you get close to the Dark Lord." Snape told him as he rose up and flicked his wand sending several of the Death Eaters flying backwards into the outer wall of Hagrid's hut. "I'll draw him into a fight and you try and snick up behind him. But be careful because he'll have Death Eaters covering his back and I don't want Hermione to get hit with a stray spell. Do you understand me?" Harry nodded. "Good, now stay close and wait for my signal." He started to turn and walk out into the open but Harry grabbed the arm of his white button up shirt and pulled him back.

"What's your signal?" Snape thought for a moment before answering.

"When I Splinch him that should weaken him then you come in and put the Circle of Power on his chest. Remember to put it over his heart." He turned again but Harry grabbed at his arm again. "What is it now Potter?" He snapped getting slightly annoyed at the young boy who kept grabbing at his arm.

"Thank you and I'm sorry for being such a pain in your arse all the time. I'm glad that Hermione found some like you." Snape looked at the boy as if he could not believe the words that he had just spoken. In all truth he couldn't believe the words that the boy had just said. "I also want to apologize for the things my father did to you. He was so mean to you and I hope that you can forgive him because…" But Snape held up his hand to stop him.

"Those are not your things to apologize for Potter. Your father and I were different people in school and in life and I probably would have done the same things to him had the situation been reversed." Harry looked at him for a moment before reaching out and wrapping his arms around the one man he'd never in his life suspected he'd want to hug.

"Thank you sir." He whispered before letting go of Snape who had actually wrapped one arm around him in a sure of manly hug.

"I think it would be alright if you called me Severus…Harry." The older man watched as the younger one smiled and nodded.

"Thank you…Severus." Then together they started out into the fighting. Snape heading one way and Harry heading in the other to walked around the Dark Lord.

He watched as Harry drew a Death Eater that Snape had never seen before into a fight while he looked left and right for the Dark Lord. He spotted him floating among the crowd flinging spells at will and staring at Dumbledore. He ran up the hill toward the floating man and shot a spell at him. It missed but it drew the Dark Lord's attention away from Dumbledore and to him. The expression on the Dark Lord's face was one that Snape had seen many times and often in the past few months aimed at him. He was angry.

Looking over his shoulder Snape noticed that Harry had flung a Killing Curse at the Death Eater he'd been fighting. He stopped for a moment and stared down at the dead body. Obviously this was the first time the boy had been forced to kill someone. No sooner had he turned around than the Dark Lord flung the Killing Curse at him and he dunked out of the way to miss it. Hermione once again tired to scream but no words came out. He rolled back to his feet and flung a Stunning Spell at the man floating above them, he dodged it perfectly.

He saw Harry standing behind the Dark Lord and while someone yelled at the Dark Lord he turned in a moment of weakness and Snape took the opportunity and threw the spell at him. He watched as Harry moved forward as the Dark Lord seemed to stager a little and fell to the ground. Harry reached down and pulled the front of the Dark Lord's robes down over his heart and shoved the Circle of Power onto his skin. As soon as it made contact with his skin light burst from the golden pendant and the light shot up into the darkness driving it back.

There was a hush over the scene before suddenly the Dark Lord whom had gotten to his feet gave a high scream. Looking up Snape notice a hole in the darkness and a light coming down to met the one emitting from pendant. Everyone seemed to hold their breath and watch as the Dark Lord stumbled toward Harry with his wand drawn and muttered something but nothing happened. Then just as it had been in the Chamber of Secrets light began to shine through the body of the Dark Lord and he burst into flames giving another scream.

Then the darkness was gone, replaced by the bright and shinning sunlight. Snape looked around and noticed that all of the Death Eaters, save for himself, had fallen to the ground clinching their left arms. He felt as if his arm was tingling and looking down pulling back his shirtsleeve. The Dark Mark was slowly fading as he watched but unlike the others it didn't seem to have affected him as much.

Looking around his eyes were sifting through the confused and scared crowd of people for Hermione. His eyes immediately were drawn to the crumbled pile of robes that was lying on the ground. He thought for a moment that it might have been someone else but the bushy brown hair and the line on the left ring finger where a ring used be whipped all doubt about who the body was from his mind.

He raced forward and dropped to his knees beside her. Turning her over slowly he noticed that her eyes were closed and that she wasn't breathing. He placed his hand over her heart where a steady beat used to be but this time there was no beat, there was no sign of life what so ever inside of her. His hand moved up to her face and stroked her cheek.

"NO!!" He screamed causing several people to turn and look at him. Tears leaked from his eyes and he held the lifeless of his love. Harry and Ron whom had been somewhere else fighting and now looked as battle worn as the rest of them came running over closely followed by McGonagall and Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey came forward and reached down to check for a pulse but Snape pulled Hermione closer to him and wouldn't let anyone near her.

"She's dead." He whispered through his tears and saw Harry and Ron drop down beside him.

"Are you sure Severus?" Harry asked looking at his Potions Master. Ron gave Harry a funny look but he ignored him. He'd have to explain about his and Severus' talk behind the portion of the wall later. Right now the most important thing was Hermione and making sure that she was okay. Snape nodded his head and lifted Hermione a little higher.

"Hermione, please, wake up. I need you. Don't leave me, you promised. You promised me damn it. You said you wouldn't leave. You said you wouldn't do me like she did. Don't you dare lie to me." He said shaking her softly but watching as her head just bobbled around lifelessly. He cradled her head in his hand and pressed his forehead against hers. He pressed kisses to her cheeks, eyelids, and forehead, anywhere he could reach. He held her in his arms as he cried, his tears dropping onto her skin and sliding down.

He felt Harry place his hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze. He turned to look at Harry who wrapped one arms around Snape and reaching over with his hand and taking Hermione's hand.

_**TBC????**_

_**What's going to happen? What's happening to Hermione? Is she going to live or is she going to die? What do you think of the drastic way that Harry and Snape's relationship has changed? Let me KNOW!!**_


	12. The Great Awakening Of Hermione Snape

_**I beat you think this is going to have a sad ending don't ya?**_

_**Chapter 12: The Great Awakening of Hermione Snape**_

Snape held Hermione close and continued to cling to her even though Auror's were starting to pour through the open front gates of Hogwarts only moments after the end of Lord Voldemort. He looked up and saw the group of people who'd gathered around him before looking back down at the lifeless body in his arms. Carefully he rose to his feet and staggered toward the entrance of the castle. He was going to take Hermione up to the hospital wing and Poppy could examine her more closely. Maybe he wasn't right, maybe she wasn't dead. But as he climbed up the front steps he saw light. White light, it didn't seem to be coming from the newly shinning sun but more from the ground.

Looking down he noticed that it was coming from Hermione. Slowly she began to lift out of his arms as if floating lightly toward the sky. He let her go watching as she hovered only a few feet above the ground and turned so that she was vertical. Her arms spread out to her sides and her head lolled back her mouth falling open. The group watched as something silvery came out of Hermione and formed a small ghostly looking ball.

Almost instantly Snape noticed what it was. He'd seen it several times when the Dark Lord had ordered an innocent victim to be kissed by the Dementor's. The ghostly silvery ball was Hermione's soul. Stepping forward he reached out to touch it but someone pulled his hand away. Looking down he saw it was Harry.

"Don't…touch it." He stammered watching as Hermione floated in front of them suspended by nothing but air.

"Her soul is leaving her body Harry. We must do something to…I don't know put it back." He snapped at the young boy who shook his head.

"No, we shouldn't touch her." Taking a deep breath Harry attempted to explain something Hermione had told him months ago when they'd been worried about his connection with Voldemort. "The way she was following Voldemort around it appeared as if he might have attached her to him. Don't ask me on what level or anything like that but there was this invisible bond between them, similar to the one I had. I could see it in her face when the fighting started. She was felling what he felt. Seeing the scene as he saw it. I know because I was seeing the same thing." Pausing he stared at Hermione for a moment silently watching as her soul floated in front of her and she floated a little higher away form them. "My connection was an older one and became less powerful in the end but hers…well, she was not used to the connection like I've had to be. It was too much for her and in the end when that connection broke it caused her so much pain that her body couldn't handle it. I don't know why it didn't kill me like it did her." He looked up at Snape and he could see the guilt in the younger man's eyes and reached out gripping his shoulder in a shaking hand.

"For the same reason that I didn't fall to the ground in pain like the other Death Eaters when the Dark Mark was taken away." He turned his gaze back up to the floating body of the woman he loved. Tonks and Lupin had appeared from the crowd and found Harry and Ron safe. They looked up at Hermione as she floated a little higher in the air. Tears sprung to Tonks' eyes as she watched the young girl she had grown rather fond of floating lifeless with her soul visible out of her body.

"Merlin's beard, what happened to her?" Lupin asked looking from Hermione to the women standing as his side that had broken down in tears and was now crying silently into his shoulder clinching his robes. Harry explained the connection and how it had been too much.

"What an awful death." Tonks whimpered looking up from Lupin's shoulder and whipping at her eyes. Lupin reached over and with a flick of his wand produced a handkerchief. Her muttered thank you was lost when Ron spoke.

"Look!" He practically screamed drawing everyone's attention back to Hermione. Nothing had changed about her but her soul was slowly inching its way back toward her as if it was about to go back inside of her. Everyone seemed to take a breath and hold it at the same time watching as there was another sudden blast of light and Hermione's soul reentered her body and Hermione started to spin in the air. The blast of light was strong enough to send the ones standing closest to her (Snape, Harry and Ron) backward onto the stone steps.

Snape covered his eyes as another burst of light engulfed Hermione.

"What in the hell is going on?!" He scream as he watched Hermione float a little higher into the sky still spinning so fast that all he could make out was her hair. Fear clinched his gut as he watched from the ground as she continued to spin faster and faster still. Then there was a third blast of light that caused everyone in the area to cover their eyes and several of the girls shrieked at the sight.

When Snape looked back up he noticed that Hermione was slowly floating toward the ground but there was something different about her. He moved forward and then the light that had been suspending her in thin air narrowed down to a point over her heart. He reached out and caught her as the light disappeared and she fell into his waiting arms.

Pulling her close with one arm he reached up and laid his hand over her heart. Where there had been no heart beat before now there was a steady beat that was getting stronger and stronger. There was a faint groan and he pulled back looking at her face. Her eyelids fluttered and then her eyes burst open and she took a beep breath. She looked around as if for a moment she didn't realize where she was. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused. She turned her head trying to take in everything at once. Her eyes landed and focused on Snape who was staring at her but staring back at him wasn't the woman he loved.

Her eyes, there was something different about her eyes. They were no longer the deep sinful brown he remembered but a bright vivid blue that covered her whole eyeball. And her hair was no longer the tangled, bushy brown mess it had once been but a silky black mass that hung down to her knees. Her face was the same but several other things about her had changed. Her skin seemed lighter, almost like alabaster and her small frame seemed still slimmer and more willowy. Everything seemed to have changed about her but when she spoke it was with the same voice of the women he'd loved. Though she sounded dreamy and as if she was not herself. She stood up and like Voldemort floated above the ground. She seemed to be surveying the damage that had been inflicted by the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. A single crystal blue tear spilled out of her blue eyes and dropped off the end of her chin and _shattered_ on the cold stone of the castle steps. It was as if the tear had solidified while it fell.

"Hermione?" Snape asked unsure what was going on. She turned her head and frowned at him as she glided forward.

"No, I'm Lena, the spirit of souls." Ron stepped forward and circled around her looking her up and down. She turned her head around looking at him and then looked back at the group of people who were staring at her.

"I've heard about you. I think Hermione told me about her." Ron said with a look of concentration that Harry had never before on his face. "Yeah, she said that she had read about you in one of those damned books she was reading when we were looking for You-Know-Who. Remember Harry?" Harry shook his had. It had probably been one of the many times that he hadn't been listening to her because he was more focused on something else. "Well, she said that there was a legend that you would appear as someone who had been wrongfully killed. She told me that you chose the person based on their deeds in their lives and that you had the power to bring them back." The spirit of Lena looked at Ron and smiled.

"Sounds like this Hermione was quite a woman." Ron dunked his head and blushed kicking softly at the grass with one foot as he put his hands behind his back to fidget. Harry knew that Ron was not used to being smiled at by someone as beautiful as Lena. As Harry stood there he noticed that all trace of Hermione seemed to have faded other than her voice. He watched Snape out of the corner of his eye. The man looked as if he might pass out and roll all the way down to the black lake. Harry reached over and grabbed his arm when he swayed slightly.

"She is." The harsh whisper came from Snape and Lena turned around quickly to look at him. She smiled affectionately as if she were greeting an old friend or lover.

"I would imagine that _you_ would think so. She loved you very much." The use of Hermione in the past tense caused Snape to see red and if it hadn't been for Harry hold his arm he probably would have charged forward and attacked the woman who had taken over his loves body. She had no right to do it, even if she was a spirit. It didn't mean that she could go around taking people's bodies and using them as she wished.

"I…" But Snape was cut off when she held up her hand. It was not because he respected the woman enough to listen to what she said. Hell no he wanted her to bring back his wife as she had been so that he could give her the proper burial that she deserved. But when she held up her hand his tongue tied itself into knots as if he'd been cursed. He looked at her slightly annoyed but nevertheless his attention on her.

"I don't need a lecture Severus. But I will tell you how this works. I'll give you Hermione back if you can give me one good reason that _you_ need her. Not that world needs her or her friends and family. But one reason that you and you alone need her." Lena looked at Snape her bright blue eyes. He stared and without even thinking about it said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Because without her I have no purpose, I have no reason to live. Without Hermione, I'm nothing. Just another coward, another weak man to walk this earth and who has had the only love he's ever really known ripped from him." Another of those crystal blue tears leaked out of the eye of Lena. It fell and shattered like glass on the stone front steps just as the other had.

"You are anything but weak and cowardly Severus. I can see it in your eyes. You have an inner strength that you only have when you're with Hermione. Hum, its funny really. A man who has spent his whole life almost in solitude, has had love ripped away from once before, has served a mater of evil and one of good for many years. Someone who doesn't seem to deserve any happiness but at the same time deserves all the happiness in the world. It's funny that you should find that happiness in such a young inexperienced woman, someone who easily half your age. Someone who until the day of your marriage hated you, or at least thought she did. What's even funnier is that there was always something inside you both, something that called to the other. Something that will never die. You must look inside yourself Severus. Tell me why you loved her more than life itself." Snape looked at the group of people who had gathered around him and Lena. He wasn't going to spill his guts in front of the whole school. "Don't be afraid. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Looking up into the blue eyes of the spirit he felt the words come flowing out of him.

"I loved her more than life itself because…because she…she loved me even though she knew my flaws. She loved me through everything and I know that when I die, I'll die with her name on my lips and her love in my heart even if I don't get her back." He felt the hand that Harry had been gripping his arm with tighten as if in reassurance. He looked away from the woman before him and at the young boy beside him who had tears in his eyes. He looked at the rest of the people, McGonagall had buried her head in Dumbledore's shoulder, while Tonks had hers buried in Lupin's chest and his arms wrapped protectively around her. Ron was staring at the spirit as if mesmerized by the sight of her while his arm came around Lavender who had just appeared out of no where. Ginny Weasley came running up the hill toward Harry who let go of Snape to run toward her.

Snape's eyes followed him and when the young boy picked the small red head up and spun around while kissing her he felt the ping of loss. Looking back at Lena he pleaded with her silently and she smiled at him.

"I think you should have her back." As she spoke she rose higher starting to turn slowly and the white light that had engulfed Hermione moments ago engulfed Lena. She began to spin as fast as Hermione had. They watched but nothing could be seen. She was going to fast and then with a blast of light as bright as the ones that had emitted from Hermione several things happened.

The chunked of the wall from the castle glowed and sprung back up into its place looking as if it had never been removed. The bodies that had lay dead and strewn across the front lawn of the school all took a deep breath and opened their eyes. There were cries from several of the other students who had been standing around just watching and they rushed forward to check on their friends and lovers as the Auror's started to round up the last of the confused and newly awakened Death Eaters. The dust that had been Voldemort didn't move.

Snape's eyes looked back up as the light dimmed and eventually went out and found that Hermione was once again herself and was floating back down to earth. He raced forward and caught her just as she dropped down into his arms. She looked up at him and he noticed that the pendant that Harry had put on Voldemort's chest now hung around her neck on a thin golden chain.

"Necessary love will destroy unnecessary evil." He repeated as he stroked the charm that hung between her breasts. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you." She whispered to him as he held her close, afraid that if he let her go she'd float away again.

"I love you as well my dear." He said pulling back to look down at her. She was smiling and tears were forming in her eyes as he held her close. He felt his own tears beginning to well and looked out over the scene that only moments before had been ghastly and horrid. He watched as Auror's took Death Eaters away by the bundles and several of them pleaded that they had been under the Imperius Curse. Snape smirked as he watched Malfoy and Bellatrix being led away and both shouting that this was not the end, to which Harry answered with a string of curse words worthy of a sailor. The headmaster, whom Snape had known to scowled at the use of such language in or around his school, let out a great laugh and was soon joined by everyone.

Together they reentered the castle and Hermione made for the dungeon only to be stopped by Ron, Lavender, Ginny, Harry and several other students. Several Slytherin's even stopped to speak to the girl. Snape noticed that even Pansy Parkinson, a girl that Snape knew for a fact did not particularly care for Hermione, stopped to talk to her and tell her they were glad she was okay. Reaching inside his pocket Snape withdrew Hermione's wedding ring and walked toward her, the crowded parted and he smiled at her as she smiled back. She had never looked more beautiful to him.

"I think this belongs to you." He said holding it up for her to see and she smiled.

"Yeah, I was wondering where it went after Mr Malfoy and Draco took me out of the castle." There was a gasp and Snape paused in slipping the ring back on her finger. The tall blonde haired boy who had been trying to sneak past the group and into the dungeon's stopped and turned to look at Snape. The boy gave a nervous smile and laugh to which Snape just glared and reached for his wand.

"You have two seconds before I start putting holes in you and removing body part." Draco gave a terrified little scream and started down the hallway where he was caught by two Auror's who were helping gather the students back inside. Owls were starting to come in left and right dropping letters on top of the heads of students and some even landing on shoulders and nipping at the student's ears. Dumbledore who had been watching from the doorway to the Great Hall with McGonagall at his side stopped the Auror's as they dragged Draco toward the door, a look of utter horror on his face.

"If you would be so kind Bagshorts and Bengle to let him go and let me handle him. He is still a student of Hogwarts after all." Once again a very un-Dumbledore like look came onto his face and did not go unnoticed by the students and faculty that were waiting in the entrance hall for further instruction. The Auror's looked at each other then pulling out their wands bond Draco.

"Where would you like him headmaster Dumbledore sir?" The only female Auror that Harry had seen besides Tonks asked. Dumbledore seemed to consider for a moment before taking a step toward the grand staircase. He paused at the bottom and turned to find McGonagall dutifully following him. The Auror's also heading up the stairs after him.

"Minerva why don't you send word down to the kitchen and tell the elves to make a grand dinner, even bigger than the end or beginning of term dinner." There was a mummer among the students and Snape slipped his arm around Hermione who was pushing her forgotten wedding ring back into place on her finger. "And I'll be down shortly after I have finished with Mr Malfoy." He turned and with the Auror's following him started up the stairs. But he had barely started before McGonagall called up to him and stopped his progress again.

"Oh, Albus." He turned and looked at her, an eyebrow raised and she gave a smile the likes of which no student at the school had ever seen. It was smug and they seemed to know what she was going to say before the words even came out. "I told you so." The was laughter from the students, though none but Hermione knew what they were laughing about and Dumbledore gave another great laugh before winking at her and turning to start toward his office again.

Hermione turned to Snape and slipped her arms around his waist looking up at him. She smiled just as smugly as McGonagall had just done to Dumbledore.

"And I do believe that I told you that I'd never leave you." Snape rolled his eyes and smiled down at the woman in his arms.

"Let's just say that I learned my lesson." Be bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips pulling back and watched as her smile grew into one worthy of a Cheshire cat. "You are always right." He told her and she turned toward the Great Hall. Grabbing his hand as she went.

"Damn right." With that he laughed and picked her up in his arms carrying her instead of toward the Great Hall toward their dungeon rooms.

Things at Hogwarts were going to be very interesting from now on. Hermione smiled up at Snape who wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and made her laugh. Things were about to get very interesting indeed.

_**THE END!!!!!!!!!**_

_**That was the last chapter. The next one will be the epilogue and I'm thinking I might do a sequel thing that follows the life of their only child, a daughter named Tiffany Minerva Snape. Sorry had to throw myself in her some how, even though Lena is modeled after me. Though there is nothing willowy and slim about me and my eyes are not completely blue. I hope you liked and I can't wait to hear what you thought. Tell me please. Sorry it's taken so long to finish but I've been having some internet issues. Love ya'll and I can't wait to hear from you.**_

_**-KC**_


	13. Epilogue

_**Okay here's the deal. Should a do a sequel or would that be pressing my luck? Let me know. I have so really great ideas for a sequel but it would be mostly about Tiffany and Teddy. Just read and let me know. **_

_**Chapter 13: Epilogue**_

_**Eleven years, three months, two weeks and one day later…**_

"Tiffany Minerva Snape, come down from the top of that tree this instance young lady!" Hermione Jane Granger-Snape yelled at the top of her lungs as she looked up at the young girl of eleven who was sitting in the upper most branches of the tallest tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The girl gave a start and nearly dropped the journal and quill she had in her hand. She smiled at her mother and quickly tucked the journal and quill inside the book bag that hung on a branch over her head.

Slinging the bag over her head she quickly scurried down the tree and landed gracefully at her mother's feet. Her long black hair hung down to her shoulders like her fathers and her brown eyes shown with mischief just like her mother's had at that age. Her skin was pale as Severus' but her cheeks held the rosy taint that Hermione's had. She had the same complexion and nose as her father and a love for learning like both her parents. She gave her mother her best innocent smile and started toward the small cottage that sat on the far end of the front lawn of Hogwarts beside the gates.

This is where they lived during the holidays. Dumbledore had insisted that Snape get rid of that hideous house he'd been living in during those days and build something a little more homey-felling. The truth was that Dumbledore had already told Harry and Ginny that they could build a home beside Hagrid if they wanted and Ron and Lavender had been given permission to use any part of the surrounding mountains that they wanted. He had wanted the saviors of the school to live close, not to mention that all of them had now became professors at the school where they got their start. But alas it was only Severus and Hermione who had taken up residence here on the Hogwarts grounds. Harry and Ginny were using Grimmauld Place while Ron and Lavender lived in a beautiful little house in the country about a quarter of a mile from Ron's parents. Hermione had known that he wouldn't even be far from his parents. Ron was a family man through and through. And surprisingly so was Severus.

He had taken to fatherhood like a duck to water. Hermione had barely been able to pry baby Tiffany from his arms long enough to feed her. He had wanted to be completely involved in everything that had to do with her. Hermione had been happy to see him so involved, being all the things his father had not been.

"What were you doing up in that tree. I thought your father and I both told you not to climb the trees in the Forbidden Forest, even if they were in the front, ever again. It's not safe." Tiffany sighed and shook her head.

"I swear mum you and dad are the worst worry warts I've ever met in my life." The reply was one that Hermione had heard several times before and one that she hoped she continued to hear. As long as she was complaining about there rules on the tree climbing and everything else then she knew that they were doing something right.

"I'm you mother, it's my job. Now come along Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus will be down for tea in a few moments and Tonks and Remus are bringing Teddy over." Immediately Tiffany brightened and swirled around to look up at her mother.

"Teddy's coming." Hermione placed her hands on her hips and gave her only daughter a firm look. Tiffany would be her and Severus' only child. After an accident a few years after Tiffany's birth when she, Harry and Ron had been out and about skewering the country for dark artifacts she had been told she could have no more children. But that did not stop her from hoping that god would smile upon her and Severus' as he had been through out the years. Hermione knew that Tiffany had a soft spot for the half werewolf half metaphor and both she and Severus' along with Remus and Tonks welcomed the match. The two youngsters seemed to be inseparable and Hermione hoped that someday they would be celebrating the joining of their families. Though she knew that the only real reason for the nearness was that they were both only children and they both loved to get into trouble.

"You are not going into Forbidden Forest and you are not going to traipse around Hogwarts while no one is there to watch you. Do you understand me Tiffany M…?"

"Yeah, yeah, Tiffany Minerva Snape. I really wish you'd just call me Tiff." The young girl said as she walked beside her mother, her book bag clinched in her hands as if she was afraid that she would drop it. She thought about the journal entry she'd just written and how she hoped that the Locking Charm she'd placed upon it would be enough to keep her mother and father both out of it if they found it. She had gotten pretty good at the Disillusion Charms from hanging out with Professor Flitwick ever chance she got. Aunt Minerva had showed her many cool tricks with Transfiguration and Uncle Albus was all the time sneaking her into his office to teach her things like Defensive magic and more advanced stuff that she wasn't supposed to learn for several years. But she had taken an instant liking to the older man and woman who were not really relatives and she knew that even though they said that what they taught her was a secret that they had already cleared it with her parents first.

"I really wish I knew where you got that smart, know-it-all attitude from." Hermione shot back as she held the door open for her daughter who bounced inside and went straight for the clean and pristine living room, muddy shoes and all. Severus sat in there with his socked feet on an ottoman and the _Daily Prophet _opened between his hands. He looked up and surveyed Hermione over the top of his spectacles. She grinned at him and silently dared him to say anything but he couldn't resist poking her buttons. His hair had started to gray years ago and he was not as swift as he had once been. Hermione had also heard several students, Gryffindor and the like, comment on how well they liked his class and that they couldn't see what their parents had complained about. Whenever someone who had left the school before the war would come back to visit they couldn't believe the change in Snape's appearance and attitude. He was much more approachable and where he had once worn a permanent snarl now he worn a permanent smile.

"She learned that from you my dear, the best in the business I would say." Instantly the_ Daily Prophet _that he had been reading wadded itself up and bounced into the waste basket. He raised an eyebrow at her as she stood in the living room doorway with one arm over her chest while the other was raised at the elbow while she rolled her wand around between her fingers.

"Do you really want to start this? I easily have fifteen more years of experience on you…" He trailed off letting her pick up on his challenge and just as always she did.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure I want to start this but it'll have to wait. Our company will be along shortly. Tiffany," the young girl groaned, "sorry _Tiff_, go change and get those dirty shoes outside where they belong." She scowled as her daughter jerked off her shoes and with a flick of her wand they _walked_ back through the cottage and out the door to seat beside the others. "You couldn't levitate them out could you?" She called and for a response heard the sound of a slamming bedroom door.

"Leave her be Hermione. She is going through that stage where her parents just don't understand her anymore. _They have so many rules and restrictions that it's hard for a girl to be herself and have her own life_." Hermione turned and crossed her arms over her chest leveling her gaze with her husbands.

"Read her journal again did you?" Severus pretended shock and pressed his hand to his chest mouthing the word _me_ before a grin appeared on his face. "We agreed we wouldn't do that anymore unless we believed something was really wrong. And then we agreed that both of us would be present when we read it." Severus shrugged and flicked his wand at the waste basket where his newspaper had disappeared to. With another flick the paper straightened itself and he opened it to the page he'd been reading a moment ago.

"Well, I only read a couple of pages. That kid could write a book about her life so far if she wanted to. It was right after Remus and Tonks had brought Teddy over and the two of them had disappeared for more than three hours. I just wanted to see if she had written anything about their little _adventure_ inside. But she just babbled on and on about how unfair her life was." Hermione shook her head and prepared to break some sad news to her beloved but naive husband.

"Honey, she has _two_ journals. One she hides in her room and uses Disillusion and Locking Charms so that if we do find it we can't get into it." Snape looked up at her over the paper again and let his mouth drop open.

"Why that little clever witch. Two journals, who would have ever thought?" Hermione shook her head and chuckled before turning to start the tea.

She had just finished it and was arranging a tray when Albus and Minerva arrived at the front door. The two greeted Hermione with hugs and kisses on the cheeks while Albus gave Snape a manly hug and Minerva kissed his cheek.

"You looked absolutely gorgeous Minerva. You'd better watch out Albus, some younger man will be trying to steal her away from you before you know it." Albus slipped his arm around Minerva's waist and smiled.

"I don't think I have any worries. Now where is my always delightful little niece, we've brought her something back from Egypt?" No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Tiffany came bounding down the stairs and threw her arms around Albus' neck.

"Uncle Albus, I'm so glad your back." She hugged the old man tightly and he returned the gesture before handing her over to Minerva who took her hands and spread her arms out looking her over.

"Why, you must have grown almost a foot while we've been gone. Look at her Albus; doesn't she look just like her mother?" Hermione couldn't resist the urge to laugh at the look on Albus' face.

"Heavens no Minerva, she looks more like her father when he was younger." The older couple then began to argue about which one was right and Tiffany sighed looking up at her mother and then over at her father. Both looked extremely amused at the two but she felt slightly annoyed.

"So did you bring me something back? I thought I heard you say that you did." She interjected and watched as the attention was once again drawn back to her. Both the older adults' frowns melted into a smile as she stared up at them with innocent brown eyes. Albus reached inside his purple robes and pulled out a rather large box. Tiffany took it from him and went over to her favorite armchair across from the fireplace, where she enjoyed reading until the late hours of the night, to open it. She pulled the lid off and found maroon and gold tissue paper inside. It was just like Christmas or her birthday whenever Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus came back from one of their frequent trips to an unknown land, lands that she hoped to visit one day with Teddy by her side like always. She pushed the tissue aside and pulled out a beautiful set of maroon and gold dressing robes.

"They were made in Egypt by a very well known robe maker. She assured us that they would be perfect for our little Gryffindor." Minerva put in with an approving nod but Severus interjected her.

"Well, how can we be so sure that she'll be a Gryffindor? Her mother might have been a Gryffindor in her school years but lets not forget that I, her father, was a Slytherin." Tiffany let out a groan and watched as the usual argument between Aunt Minerva and her father started. Her father was so convinced that she was going to be in Slytherin that he wouldn't accept anyone's opinion otherwise and Aunt Minerva wanted badly for her to be in Gryffindor like her mother. But in all truth she just hoped that she and Teddy were in the same house.

"Tiffany, dear, please tell your father that you want to be in Gryffindor with your Aunt Minerva." The older woman looked at Tiffany who shot a glance toward Uncle Albus who held up his hand in surrender with a smile. He'd long ago figured out that it was no use trying to save her from their constant debate.

"Please tell you Aunt Minerva that you want to be in Slytherin like your father." Tiffany put the dressing robes back inside the box and closed the lid before sitting it beside the fireplace. She put her elbow on the arm of the chair and placed her cheek on her fist. She hated when they argued about what house she'd be in. She hated when they argued about anything to do with her.

"I don't really care what house I'm in, as long as Teddy is there." She said as there was another knock at the door and she immediately jumped up. "I'll get it." She said and took off before anymore could be said.

She hurried to the door and threw it open to see Remus, Tonks and a very disgruntled looking Teddy standing in the doorway. Tiffany thought for a moment that he was angry because his parents had dragged him here but upon further inspection she noticed that he was in a pair of loafers, dark dress pants and a pressed red button up shirt.

"Oh my god. What happened to you?" She asked reaching forward to poke at his stiff collar and heard him give a low growl.

"Mother." He snarled and pushed past her into the small cottage while Tiffany greeted Tonks and Remus.

"Hello Uncle Remus and Aunt Tonks. How are you?" Remus reached down and picked her up balancing her on his hip. It amazed him that he could still do this in his old age but the young girl weight less than nothing even soaking wet.

"We're just fine." Tonks said leaning over to place a kiss on the young girl cheek which she gladly returned before putting a kiss on Remus' cheek as well. "And how are you little one?" Tonks had taken to calling her _little one_ when she'd been far too young to understand what it meant and Tiffany didn't have the heart to tell her not to call her that anymore. It didn't bother her so much when Tonks did it, but when her mother or father did it was just down right out annoying.

"Good, Uncle Albus and Aunt Minerva were arguing over who I looked like more, my mum or dad. And I believe," she started hearing the sounds of Minerva and Severus' voice from the sitting room, "that dad and Aunt Minerva are still arguing about what house I'm going to be in." Remus gave the young girl a sympathetic look and Tonks gave her hair a quick ruffle. Tiffany reached up to straighten it as Remus carried her toward the sitting room.

"Remus Lupin, you put her down. She's not a baby, she can walk. You'll hurt yourself." Hermione told him as they entered to room to find Teddy had taken up residence in Tiffany's armchair which was big enough for both of them. Hermione was trying to serve tea to the arguing Severus and Minerva while Albus sipped his tea and looked rather amused.

"Told ya so." Tiffany said jumping down from Remus' grasp and scurrying toward the sulking Teddy. He scooted over and made room for her and she quickly reached over and hugged him. He returned the hug and when they pulled back they were both smiling.

"So, did you go into the Forest today?" He asked in a whisper so that the adults in the room wouldn't hear. She nodded and leaned closer to him to tell him about what she'd found.

"Remember that big spider that Harry was telling us about when he came to visit last time." She watched as Teddy nodded. "I thought it was a scare tactic to keep us from going in there but its not. It's real. The one named Aragog died about twelve years ago according to Hagrid, who was really excited to share this information as you well know. He told me that there were others that lived in the Forest so I went in early this morning to take a look, right after the rain had stopped. They're about a mile and a half in. Hagrid must have told them to expect people coming around because they just went on about their business. And the best part is that they can talk. The one that's the king or whatever now actually invited me to come back in the morning and talk to him some more. He told me about how he chased Harry and Ron out of the Forest when they were in their second year." Teddy laughed a little too loudly and drew the attention of the adults in the room.

"What are you two up to?" Hermione asked as she and Tonks sat side by side on one of the several couches that had become a necessary addition over the years. There was always someone coming around, whether it was Harry Potter, another person that Tiffany got the privilege of calling Uncle, who told great stories about a darker time in the Wizarding world or the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley, whom was a bit of a cracked pot if you asked Tiffany. Tiffany and Teddy both looked at their mothers and gave them identical innocent smiles. The two older women did not by it.

"Nothing." They coursed and then Tiffany jumped up and grabbed Teddy by the hand leading him toward the stairs that lead to the upper floor and the privacy of her bedroom. Before they had reached the second step however her mother called them back.

"Where are you going?" She asked coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs with Tonks right behind her. The two looked up at their mischievous children and couldn't help but feel a small ping of pride as the two looked at each other and tried to think of a reasonable excuse for leaving the room.

"Well, um, I was going to show Teddy the, um, new…owl daddy bought me." With that the two disappeared up the stairs and Tonks and Hermione heard the bedroom door slam shut. They looked at each other for a moment and both started to laugh.

"Did Severus really but her a new owl?" Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, he did. A couple of days ago, even though we'll all be in the castle together she still wanted an owl. So of course, if she wanted the Severus went and bought it for her. And that's not the worst of it. Tiffany actually named it Narcissa, can you believe that?" Tonks shook her head and together they reentered the sitting room where Minerva and Severus' were still arguing about houses and their importance while Dumbledore and Remus were discussing plans for the coming school year.

"No business talk at tea boys." Hermione said sitting down on the couch closest to Severus while Tonks went to seat with Remus on an oversized armchair. The two older men looked up and Remus pointed at Minerva and Severus who were still arguing.

"Those two are…"

"Are acting like two year olds, yes." Immediately Severus turned too scowled at her and she shot him a look. "Don't give me that look. That look is reserved for problem students."

"You always were a problem student." He shot back and the others in the room smiled and sipped at their tea in silence. Hermione grinned and shrugged taking a sip of her tea before responding.

"You were always a difficult professor." She responded and watched as the scowl on his face melted into a smile. The whole room roared with laughter.

"I can't believe that you went into the Forest alone." Teddy said with a huge grin. He flopped down on Tiffany's bed and pulled his red dress shirt over his head. Beneath he wore a white t-shirt that clung to his body. Tiffany turned away and reached up to let the coal black owl out of its cage.

"This is Narcissa." She said as the owl fluttered around the room and came to land on her shoulder. She turned back to see Teddy toeing off his loafers and chuckled. "What's with the get-up anyways?" She asked sitting down on the bed as he laid back, propping himself up against the headboard. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before explaining.

"Mum and Dad had to go to the Ministry this morning and meet with Mr Weasley about me going to Hogwarts. The whole, _his half werewolf_ thing. She made me dress like a complete dunderhead." He began to scowl at the wall and Tiffany laughed before reaching up and moving Narcissa from her shoulder. She gently placed the owl on the widow seal and watched as it flew off into the cool evening air. Her father and mother had been drinking their evening tea in the sitting room when she'd came bounding down the stairs to tell them that she'd named her owl. Both had spat their tea out and stared at her as if she were crazy.

"_Sweetheart, you do realize that, that's the name of a former Death Eater?" Her father asked her looking rather like he might start to yell at any moment. Her mothers face was extremely pale and she was fanning herself with her hand. Tiffany looked from one to the other and shrugged._

"_It was the first name that came to my mind. And it fits. She likes it." She had defended her choice of a name. "Besides, what's in a name, that which we call a rose would smell just as sweet?" She quoted and watched as some color came back into her mothers cheeks as she grinned a little._

"_I'm not changing it." She had said before turning and with the owl following had retreated to her bedroom to sulk._

No more had been said about the name of her owl since that evening and she was glad.

"You won't hurt anyone. I've been around you loads of times when the full moon is out." He shrugged and picked up the book that was lying on the bedside table. Like her Teddy had a passion for reading and learning. He loved to discover new things and explore the unknown, just as she. More times than not they had found themselves in trouble with the adults for this.

"So how is old Filch anyways?" He asked with a smile. Tiffany returned the smile and gave a little giggle.

"Mum says he's doing just fine but we're not allowed to go back up to the castle anymore without Uncle Albus or Aunt Minerva being with us. You'd have figured they would have gotten rid of Fluffy after the Sorcerer's Stone was gone. I mean what's the use in having him around." Teddy nodded and opened the book beginning to flip through it, stopping at random pages and reading only the things of interest.

"Yeah, no kidding." He said but other than that remained quite. Tiffany crawled up the bed and lend back against the headboard with Teddy reading the book over his shoulder. He moved over a little bit so that she see better and so that the space between them was minimal.

Teddy had always liked Tiffany. She was different for all the other girls he'd meet in his young life and by far the coolest. She was into adventure and fun and just was generally fun to talk to. Her parents had traveled places and taken her with them. She'd been to places that he'd only dreamed of but the exposure to the culture had been minimal because she had been so young. She'd vowed she would revisit the places from her past and that she would take him with her.

Their parents had always liked it that they got along so well. He had even heard his mother telling Hermione that she hoped one day they would get married. But she was his best-mate and a man couldn't marry his best-mate could he. He looked over at Tiffany as her eyes raced across the page he was pretending to read. She was beautiful with her long black hair and her pale skin. She had more of her father in her than her mother but he could see that she had inherited her mother's strength and courage. He knew that he'd be a Gryffindor, there was no doubt about it and with her talents and brains she was a shoe in. But he feared being placed in different house, feared what it would do to their friendship. Tiffany moved over a little and without a thought it seemed placed her head on his shoulder. He was slightly troubled by the fact that he felt the incredible urge to put his arm around her and hug her close.

_She's your best-mate, mate, not your girlfriend. Take it easy._ He knew that she was just an affectionate person but not many of the girls he met were affection toward him long after they found about his problem. Sure he'd never hurt anyone and was actually very tame for a young werewolf but there was still that chance and every time a full moon came around Tiffany was always right there at his side. She had watched him change numerous times and watched as he changed back as well. He knew that at first it had been a shock, she'd known about it but she'd never experienced it and when she had it had fascinated her. He remembered the light in her eyes as she stepped toward him when he'd been changing back. He remembered her reaching out and stroking the shinny black fur as it disappeared. He remembered everything about her.

Looking up from her at the book he flipped the page and without thinking more about it wrapped his arm around her and began to read again. She looked up at him and smiled, her prefect white teeth showing and he couldn't help but smile back. She was so…pretty.

"Next full moons in two days right?" He nodded and watched as the usual fire danced in her eyes. "Do you think they'll let me watch again?" He nodded and watched as she did her best to control her enthusiasm. No matter how many times she saw it she never tired of it. And he didn't mind the company all that much either. His father's transformations had always been more painful and dangerous than his own because he'd been bitten where as Teddy had been born with it. That primal hunger was encoded on his DNA and was part of who he was. He'd had to learn to control the animal inside early on.

"Sure, I don't see why not." He thought about not finishing his thought but knew he couldn't pass up a chance to tease her. "I think that our parents believe you have an obsession with danger or my transformations." Tiffany reached behind her and grabbed one of the thousands of pillows and smacked him with it. He quickly put down the book and reached to pick up one to defend himself. Before he knew it they were in a full blown pillow fight and duck feathers were floating through the air and covering every available surface.

With one well placed hit he knocked Tiffany backward and off the bed. She squealed and hit the floor giggling. He moved to the edge of the bed, still on his knees and looked down at her. She had fallen into the small space between the wall and the floor. Her feet were sticking up in the air and just luckily today she'd opted for blue jeans and a tank.

There was the sound of movement out in the hallway moments before the door burst open and in strode his parents, Tiffany's and Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus. They took one look at the room and the two guilty looking kids and laughed. Hermione pulled out her wand and without a sound cleaned the feathers up and re-stuffed the pillows while Teddy reached down and helped Tiffany out of the tight spot between bed and wall.

"He did it." Tiffany said upon getting out of the space and pointed her finger at Teddy. He looked at her and let his mouth drop open.

"No, you're the one who hit me with the pillow." He shot back and moved back to sit up by the headboard while Tiffany moved down toward the foot of the bed to stand up.

"You said I was obsessed with your transformations." She heard her father whisper something and the group of adults snicker. She turned on her heels and looked at them, her hands going immediately to the gentle flare of her hips.

"I am not obsessed with Teddy's transformations. Their just…neat." She reasoned and watched as her mother and father both shook their heads while Aunt Minerva, Uncle Albus, Tonks and Remus smiled and nodded their heads. It was Remus as usual who asked the question that she waited on once a month.

"Yeah, well, I assume you want to come over for the night on Friday." Tiffany acted as if she was considering it and heard Teddy snort from the bed.

"Of course she does." He said and she turned back to him giving a smile.

"Always." She said, her eyes still on the young man lounging on her bed. She heard the adults leave the room and practically ran back over to the bed and bounced back up into her spot beside him. She rested her head on his chest again and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I'm glad were best-mates Teddy." She told him as he reached for the book that had found its way back over to the nightstand. He looked down at her, his hand still reaching for the book and found her with her eyes closed and her arms squeezing him a little bit tighter.

"Me too Tiff." He replied but couldn't help wondering if he was glad they were just best-mates. He opened the book again and quickly found the page they'd stopped reading on before wrapping his arm around her again and holding her close to his side.

Tiffany was different from every girl he'd ever met. And he knew without a doubt that he would never find another girl who would understand him the way she did. Was it possible to find love at the age of twelve and a half? Or did you have to wait like his parents did, until there was a war going on? He looked back down at Tiffany who was smiling and reading the book that he held. He had to surpass a sigh and force himself to look back at the pages of text. Yeah, life was complicated, way too complicated.

_**THE TRUE END? OR JUST THE BEGINNING?**_

_**Let me know what you think. If I do, do a sequel it will be called 'Of All The Girls I've Loved Before' and will be based mostly on Teddy and Tiffany and their relationship and trials and stuff. Just let me know and this will probably be like the first chapter to that if I do, do one.**_

_**-KC**_


	14. Sequel Info

_**STOP!!!! This Chapter contains information about Deathly Hollows! If you do not want to know about some of the ending events then don't read the last paragraph. You have been warned.**_

Decided to do the sequel to this and instead of posting it under _Of All The Girls I've Loved Before,_ I decided that a much better name would be:

_**The Grand Adventures of Tiff & Teddy**_

_**Year 1**_

If you are reading this then the story is up and the first two or three chapters have been posted and I am working on more. Please review as faithfully as you did with _First Comes Marriage_ and I will gladly write you some more. However, it should be brought to everyone's attention that I leave for college on the 18th of this month and after things have gotten started there progress maybe slow. But if you will remain as faithful to Tiffany and Teddy's story as you have to Hermione and Severus' story then I will make plenty of time for my writing.

Also, on a different note, for those of you who have read Deathly Hollow you will know just how extremely cruel this is, but Remus and Tonks are both _DEAD!!!!_ I just finished reading that part today and also Severus Snape, our beloved Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is _DEAD!!!!_ Fred Weasley is also _DEAD!!! _I just had to vent for a moment. Sorry if I spoiled anything for anyone. (Wails because she is just so distraught by the loss of three such great characters). On a brighter note though, all ends well. Once again sorry if I have ruined if for anyone but I did warn you.


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